METROID: The Odyssey (111316 Draft)
by 96U Creations
Summary: Samus Aran ventures to purge the X-Parasite virus that plagues much of the FS-176 star system. However, her mission is not just some simple objective. Along the way, her allies become her enemies, her level of trust diminishes, and questions about her mysterious past rise.
1. Prologue

PROLOGUE

 **Metroid: The Odyssey  
** a cinematic, yet personal narrative by Robert Tober

PROLOGUE

FADE IN.

EXT. FS-176 (STAR / SPACE STATION) – NIGHT

Thick, black ooze covers a Galactic Federation star, giving it the appearance of a solar eclipse. The sludge weakens the light, and paints the space station with its toxicity. Thick droplets hang along the edges of the station. A Gunship approaches.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP – NIGHT

SAMUS pilots her Gunship. She begins to land.

EXT. FS-176: LANDING SITE – NIGHT

Samus lands her Gunship.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP – NIGHT

Samus presses the pink bird-like symbol on her hand, and walks to the exit hatch. Heavy, orange armour, the Varia Suit, digitally replaces her blue spandex body suit. Samus inserts her right hand into her Arm Cannon, near the exit.

INT/EXT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP – NIGHT

Samus rides the hatch, exiting.

The Galactic Federation tasked me with restoring light to this star system. The interior of the space station was calm, but I could sense something was wrong. Shivers trembled down my spine. The elevator to the control room was inactive. The power was out all over the station. I tried to open the doors manually, but they barely budged. It was imperative that I reached the opposite side of the space station, where the giant, black orb rested. When I finally did make it, the full weight of my Varia Suit slowly getting me, the Federation star greeted me with its ooze-dripping tentacles.

Only a dim glow of light peeked from the darkness. I looked around for an alternate path into the control room. Four platforms surrounded the star, each with a round slot of a particular size. I switched into Morph Ball mode, altering my shape into that of a sphere, and activated the platforms with atomic explosions. Each platform raised significantly until they stood erect as pillars. Revealing a second slot, I repeated the process until the pillars grew as tall as the star itself. I then resumed my search.

After walking around a while, I eventually encountered small, round paths along the backsides of the pillars, which led to the control room. Withholding electricity for emergency purposes, the pillars, when connected, would allow me to complete my mission. I followed the instructions in the control room, needing the use of my Arm Cannon in order to extract the virus. A timer appeared, indicating how long the extraction process would take to complete. Rumbling soon followed. The black nectar still toyed with the pillars; my source of power was in danger. I used some of the emergency electricity on the elevator, and returned to the darkened ball of light.

INT/EXT. FS-176: STAR PLATFORM – NIGHT

Samus exits the building.

EXT. FS-176: STAR PLATFORM – NIGHT

Samus gets into a defensive position. She pays close attention to the ooze-dripping tentacles. Three SPACE PIRATE ATCs distract her. She points her Arm Cannon at the enemy spaceships, and begins firing at them. Four AEROTROOPERS fly toward her from behind. The winged Space Pirates surprise her with a group assault. Samus swiftly turns around, and attacks them back.

I wondered what the Space Pirates wanted. The Aerotroopers were the most aggravating of the bunch, so I tried shooting them down first. They would try reducing the size of the pillars by force. The Pirates in the ATCs, however, fired at the star itself, trying to get the molasses to react. Re-thinking my strategy, I fired charged shots at the ventilation shafts, knowing them to be a simple target. I killed them all without breaking a sweat, only to find that this was not the end. The timer reached the end of its count. The remaining ooze evaporated, and a solar storm began.

EXT. FS-176: STAR PLATFORM – NIGHT

A solar flare travels in Samus' direction, snapping her out of her daydream. She bolts for the dock on the other side of the building.

EXT/INT. FS-176 – NIGHT

Samus barely misses the solar flare, running for her life.

Evacuating this place as soon as possible was my top priority. My Varia Suit became so warm; it felt like it was going to melt. My mind raced faster than I could run. I kept repeating the same thought, desperate to escape.

"Ma'am, I'm readying the ship for escape," Tyson, my robot companion, announced.

"You should be in the air by now! We need to get the hell out of here!" I could barely speak; my voice was so low on breath. "Open the hatch! I'll jump!"

INT/EXT. FS-176: DOCK – NIGHT

Samus escapes the space station.

EXT. FS-176: DOCK – NIGHT

Samus watches her Gunship lift off. The underside hatch opens.

EXT. FS-176 – NIGHT

Large solar flares spread in all directions.

EXT. FS-176: DOCK – NIGHT

Samus makes a final sprint toward the Gunship. She leaps for the hatch, when a solar flare makes contact with her. Her Varia Suit disables, returning her to her Maya and Catalina blue Zero Suit. Tyson brings unconscious Samus to Oormine II, which orbits beyond a large asteroid field.

FADE OUT.

4


	2. Act I: Embryo

ACT I: Embryo

FADE IN.

INT. GALACTIC FEDERATION SHIP FIGUEROA: RECOVERY ROOM – DAY

Unconscious Samus lies dormant in an exam bed. Tyson, her robot companion, watches over her. Slowly, Samus begins to awaken. She grumbles and moans, gradually opening her eyes.

TYSON

Welcome back, ma'am.

Samus adjusts herself into a seated position. She notices her current attire being her blue, spandex Zero Suit.

SAMUS

Where's my Varia Suit?

TYSON

It is offline-

Samus stretches and gets out of bed.

SAMUS

Well, put it online! I have work to do! 

She scans her hand to activate the door, and exits the recovery room.

TYSON

Ma'am, I cannot exactly-

The door closes.

EXT. GFS FIGUEROA – DAY

Samus exits the flagship, still only in her Zero Suit. She looks out at the Oormine II Overworld. Branches and leaves cover her Gunship in the distance. She limps toward it.

My back pulsated and throbbed as I walked. I tried to distract myself, focusing on the lifeforms that made this planet whole. My Gunship was in its worst condition yet: the hunk of orange metal would not even turn on. Leaning against my ship, I allowed the scent, colour and atmosphere of the forest to fill my head. This place was unlike any forest I had ever seen in my planetary travels. A cliff in the distance, an alien waterfall guarded something within the rocks. A large chasm separated the cliff from the pine forest, with hexagonal pillars standing between them. Slowly, limping, I walked to my newfound destination. Even though the pain in my body worsened, my desperate desire to explore and raid this planet for commission purposes increased.

A river dividing the mountainous region from the woodlands flowed around the cliff. My eyes continued to peer into that cave. Those pillars were my only way across. Although the pain in my back continued to throb, I needed to make those jumps. This mission given to me by the Galactic Federation was of the utmost importance, both for dutiful and financial reasons. I took a deep breath, and leaped across, barely grabbing the edge of the first pillar. Ever so carefully, I climbed up.

"Five more to go."

My adventuring into that cave was more than a struggle. Despite a part of me not wanting to overdo things after that maniacal electrocution on FS-176 just hours ago, I went with my gut.

"You gotta keep going," I kept telling myself. "Keep going."

With patience and endurance, I eventually reached the entrance. Running under the waterfall, my attempt at getting the least amount of alien liquid on my skin or spandex suit was successful. The nature of this planet being completely unlike Earth, one could not say which molecules made Oormine II habitable for the native species. Contact with the water could bring irreparable damage to the body, for all we knew.

The cave was rather warm and humid, which worsened the farther I walked. There were pumpkins along the walls, each spewing piping hot phlegm from their carved mouths, and into a ravine of sorts. The Plasma Whip on my Paralyzer gun would allow me to zip line across the fiery phlegm to the other side. Once deeper inside, the heat and humidity really got to me. Sweat dripped from my forehead like mad, a rain shower taking place directly on my face. My breathing intensified, and my feet carried all the weight in my body. It would be impossible for me to survive in this place for much longer. I had to leave the cave for the time being, which was not an easy decision for me to make. Although I desperately wanted to pursue my mission of the ever-expanding X-Parasite, my health ultimately got the best of me.

Oddly, the pillars just outside the cave were now slanted and slippery, pink snow coated the pine forest, and the waterfall was solid ice. I had to shimmy my way around the hunk of ice and grab onto the edges of the pillars to get across. I leaped and climbed, all the while surviving the harsh winds and blowing snow. The pain in my back grew worse.

"Dammit, you were right, you were right. Why was I so fucking stupid?"

I needed to take a moment to breathe, once back in the woodlands. I slowly marched through the snow with my hand on my spine. My desperation to reach the flagship for warmth intensified.

"How d-d-did it s-s-snow so much already?"

As I walked, I saw somebody waving at me.

"T-Tyson? I-I'm c-c-coming..."

My throbbing back made it difficult to walk any faster.

"J-J-Just give me a minute... M-maybe two..."

I could feel the frost on my face. My ears and forehead hated this sudden shift. My body could not handle these two extremes back-to-back.

Collapsing onto a sheet of ice in front of GFS Figueroa, it soon donned on me that Tyson was never outside: it was all in my head.

"S-s-so c-c-cold..."

Just as I was about to pass out, the ice began to crack. I tried my best to get up and enter the flagship; however, before I could even get off one knee, the ice shattered and sent me down a four-metre drop. Lime-coloured water entered my mouth, which I immediately regurgitated back onto the mushy grass.

"Argh! Ugh! Gross!"

The tunnel closed from above, making the grotto in front of me the only exit. Slowly, I got up from the ground. A strange warmth occurred to me, surprised at the change in temperature this deep beneath the surface. All the frost on my face melted away, and my Zero Suit was back to its normal colour. I entered the cave, curious of what rested within.

INT. OORMINE II OVERWORLD: CHOZO GROTTO – DAY

Samus enters one of the many ruins left behind by the extinct bird people, the Chozo. Three Chozo statues rest in the grotto, each two-and-a-half metres tall.

SAMUS

Whoa...

FADE TO:

EXT. K-2L: SAMUS' HOME – DAY

A four-year-old Samus joins her parents, RODNEY and VIRGINIA, in their backyard.

SAMUS

Mommy, is dinner almost ready? I'm starving!

VIRGINIA

We'll eat soon, sweetheart, I promise! Just go inside!

SAMUS

But I don't wanna wait! I'm hungry!

Virginia points at the door, and gives her daughter a stern look. Samus groans. She turns around to go back inside, when she sees RIDLEY getting closer. Rodney and Virginia are too busy with their conversation to notice.

SAMUS

Mommy?

VIRGINIA

Go inside, I said!

SAMUS

(frightened)

Mommy!

Samus runs to her parents, and hugs her mother. Virginia can feel her daughter quivering.

VIRGINIA

Sammy? What's wrong?

Rodney sees the shadow of the approaching monster dancing with the Afloraltite flowers. He looks up in the sky.

RODNEY

Those damned Space Pirates are coming to attack the colony!

VIRGINIA

I knew it would come to this...

Ridley lands near their house. He roars, walking closer.

RODNEY

Samus, you remember that talk we had the other day, about you living with your teachers?

Samus cries and quivers in fear, hugging her mother's leg tight.

VIRGINIA

I don't know if this is really a good time to be saying goodbye to our daughter!

RODNEY

It is a good time! That beast is here!

VIRGINIA

So, this is it, huh? Your big plan?

Ridley gets dangerously close. Virginia covers Samus' ears with one arm, and fires a bullet down his throat. Ridley shrieks loudly. Virginia backs away with Samus. Rodney keeps the winged beast busy.

RODNEY

We have no choice! We have to say goodbye now!

SAMUS

Don't leave me!

VIRGINIA

Samus, you were always my little girl! There's nobody in the world I love more than you!

SAMUS

(sobbing)

Mommy!

Virginia unwraps Samus' arms from her thigh.

VIRGINIA

Run as fast as you can!

Samus sniffles. Ridley goes to attack the three of them. Rodney protects Virginia and Samus by shooting the beast.

RODNEY

We love you, Samus!

Ridley goes to attack Samus.

VIRGINIA

Run!

Samus runs as fast as she possibly can. Ridley chases after her. Virginia and Rodney run over to wrench his tail.

RODNEY

Leave our daughter alone, you bastard!

Rodney fires a bullet into the back of Ridley's head. The purple monster turns around, shrieks, and pounces on Virginia. She struggles to break free from his clutches. Samus turns around, never more frightened in her life.

SAMUS

Mommy!

VIRGINIA

Samus! Keep running!

Rodney fires nearly every bullet he has at Ridley, but none of them do any damage.

RODNEY

Virginia!

Rodney and Samus watch Ridley eat Virginia alive. Flesh, bones, intestines, brain: everything.

RODNEY

(hopeless)

For us.

Rodney fires his last bullet at an explosive Afloraltite flower. As these flowers are abundant on K-2L, a chain attack of explosions ensues.

EXT. K-2L - DAY

A highly advanced spaceship escapes the exploding space colony. Ridley manages to survive, and follows.

FADE TO:

INT. OORMINE II OVERWORLD: CHOZO GROTTO – DAY

Samus opens her eyes, admiring the statues once more.

SAMUS

I never really got to thank you. Whatever work I have left to do, I promise I'll get it done.

One of the statues lights up, green lights filling the indents on the statue as well as their eyes. The statue steps aside, revealing the Varia Suit and an exit. Samus walks over, and allows the Chozo armour to replace her Zero Suit digitally. She then walks down the new path. The Chozo statue returns to its spot as she exits, sealing the way.

Exiting the cave on the opposite side of GFS Figueroa, I returned to the cold weather. With the Varia Suit protecting my body, the blizzard-like conditions weakened. I ventured for the cliff, ready to face the extreme heat within the cave. As I walked, a familiar robotic voice spoke to me from within my suit.

"Ma'am?"

"Oh! Hi, Tyson!"

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine..."

Still without my Arm Cannon, my Paralyzer allowed me to zip line across the large pit of lava to the first platform. The fiery liquid spread into two directions. After standing on a large hunk of molten rock for a while, I chose the path to my left. The earth was not stable, breaking apart when I made contact. The wall in front of me had noticeable crevices. I climbed to the top, and wriggled my way as a Morph Ball down the tunnel. Four bomb slots surrounded a large, circular platform. Activating them transformed the platform into a pit with lava flowing around it. My Arm Cannon rested at the bottom. I jumped all the way down, only for a massive, multi-eyed crocodile to greet me. I hastily stuffed my right arm into my Arm Cannon, and faced off against the beast.

It was terribly dark inside the pit. Crocolord's eight yellow eyes were the only source of light. Intimidated by the three-metre height difference, I tried my best to fire charged shots down his throat, but found difficulty in avoiding his chomp. The beast repeatedly tried to bite into my Varia Suit. An eventual capture caused me to react by gorging out his eyes. Alternatively, when he freed me, I fed the beast Morph Ball bombs to stun him. Once he was weak enough, it was possible for me to climb up to higher ground and get a better vantage point. The bomb slots were active once more. I raced for them, and caused the pit to flood with lava. I let the beast drown and decompose, until all that remained were his bones. The lava drained, when using the bomb slots one final time. Among Crocolord's bones was an upgrade for my Arm Cannon. I jumped back down, and picked up the Ice Beam.

Molten rock barricaded a section of the wall within the pit, which my bombs could not destroy. My new Ice Beam, however, was capable of melting the rock, revealing a tiny tunnel. Interacting with a Hand Scanner on the other side caused the lava to flow throughout the cave. With nothing else to do inside of the cave for the moment, I returned outside. A cascade of lava replaced the frozen waterfall above the entrance. The red liquid thawed the pink ice and snow. Although the blizzard ended, a thunderstorm replaced it. I decided to return to Tyson at the flagship.

EXT. OORMINE II OVERWORLD – DAY

Tyson, leaving GFS Figueroa, runs into Samus.

TYSON

Ma'am! Ma'am! We must head for Federation HQ!

Samus looks at Tyson with concern. He grabs her wrist, and starts pulling her toward the Gunship, which is now completely functional.

TYSON

It's Ridley, ma'am!

Samus pulls her arm away, and runs to her Gunship.

TYSON

Wait for me!

Tyson tries to catch up.

EXT/INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP – DAY

Samus grabs Tyson while riding the hatch up into her ship.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP – DAY

Samus disables her Varia Suit, and walks over to the pilot seat. Tyson joins her, sitting in the co-pilot seat. After making final adjustments, they lift off for the Galactic Federation Headquarters.

EXT. OORMINE II OVERWORLD – DAY

Samus and Tyson lift off for the Galactic Federation Headquarters. They leave the planet, and venture into outer space.

EXT. FS-176 STAR SYSTEM – DAY

Samus and Tyson leave the planet in their Gunship, and travel to the Galactic Federation Headquarters.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP – DAY

Samus and Tyson make the remaining adjustments on the controls, in order to reach warp speed.

EXT. FS-176 STAR SYSTEM – DAY

The Gunship gradually reaches warp speed.

Tyson and I travelled to the outskirts of the FS-176 star system at the fastest speed attainable. Our destination was the nearby Solar System, venturing straight for Earth. Though I was anxious to vanquish my foe, I still had a job to do. In the meantime, I figured it might be a good time to catch up on food and laundry, and the like. Given how much time passed since my last meal, it would be a great opportunity to get some food in my system. My upbringing taught me a lot about fasting and food preserving; now in my late twenties, it was simple to go long without food and not feel like I needed to eat. A shower would be useful as well, the sweat inhabiting my Zero Suit from all my adventuring thus far.

Getting naked, I started piling my laundry into the washer, and let the machine do its thing while I hopped in the shower. The water cleansing my near-pale skin was so relaxing. Plenty of time passed before I even activated the shower gel to start spraying from the showerhead. The thought of pleasuring myself even occurred, but given the turbulent flight to Federation HQ, likely a result of the Gunship destroying dozens of Space Pirate ATCs in our path, I could not help but wonder if it would even be possible for me to climax in such conditions. In the end, my eagerness to find out what the Space Pirates were up to got the best of me.

The Pirates put a significant amount of people at risk, and my concerns for them increased as we flew. Though I tried contacting HQ to see what the status was, no one answered. My repeated failed attempts at speaking with one of the Federation heads resulted in me kicking my table map in annoyance.

"Damn!"

A series of missiles made contact with the Gunship. Stumbling, I nearly fell onto the ground, and watched everything in the observatory wobble and shake. A draft came from my bedroom nearby, scattering my stack of digital vinyl across the floor. Framed photos fell off the shelf above the backboard, lying face down on my pillows. The wheels of my closet doors rolled open ajar; my clothes danced gently in the breeze. The bathroom was just as much of a mess. The showerhead spewing a body wash and shampoo mix, and the faucet spewing toothpaste activated by themselves. My toothbrush and hairbrush ended up in the sink. The wastebasket was on its side, my used toilet paper and tampons making just as big a mess as the vinyl in my bedroom. Another missile blast caused me to startle backward, grabbing onto the doorframe. Tyson's voice spoke through the speakers in my holo-phone, which began to slip from my left boot.

"Ma'am, you might want to hold onto something tight."

"A-Already doing that...!"

Immediately, I returned to the cockpit, and buckled myself into my seat. Taking the helm once more, I assisted the Federation in the assault against the Space Pirates.

GF Troopers fired their guns at dozens when dozens of Pirates. Ridley was not anywhere in sight; my rival and mortal enemy was not on the battlefield. Tyson activated the Ship Missiles for me, which I used to shatter multiple ATCs to pieces. I hoped the explosions would attract Ridley's attention. Then, out of nowhere, a huge amount of pressure exerted itself onto the right side of my ship.

"Fire some missiles for me! I'm gonna face him outside!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Applying my Varia Suit and Arm Cannon, Ridley's large, purple tail filled my vision. After grabbing on and climbing onto his back, Tyson followed my Ship Missile order. Ridley and I plummeted to the Landing Site. He tried to claw at me, bite me, and share some of his Plasma Breath with me. My Ice Beam was my best bet at weakening him and avoiding any major attacks. A second pair of Ship Missiles severely injured his wings.

Ridley hit the Landing Site hard. Luckily, I was right on top of him, so my fall did not hurt as much.

"Sucks to be you."

My winged foe was not in the greatest condition. The remaining twelve Pirates continued to attack my comrades and me, firing at us with their Beam weapons. I did everything in my power to stop them and avert calamity. My hurriedness got the best of me, perturbed by the Pirates' assault on the Federation. My immediate destination was the Aurora Chamber inside HQ.

"Ma'am, what about Ridley?"

"Just let him suffer on the Landing Site! I'll be right back!"

Not wanting to hear Tyson's complaining and arguing, I disabled my Varia Suit, and proceeded to the Aurora Chamber in my Zero Suit.

Standard biohazard and DNA procedures were compulsory, in order to access the Chamber. The Federation would not risk contamination of an Aurora Unit, especially after what happened to Unit 313 on GFS Valhalla. After scanning my hand for identification, digital and vertical lasers searched me for any viruses. Once clear, two GF Troopers guarding the lift to Aurora Unit 149 let me pass. I rode the lift, curious to hear what the Aurora Unit might say.

"Welcome, Samus."

My eyes met the transparent screens. I followed the images and Federation logs as Unit 149 brought them to my attention.

"The toxin you discovered at FS-176 correlates with our findings on planets Bilium, Oormine II, and Tallon IV."

"Prime..."

"We fear the same. This is a live feed of Tallon IV."

I watched, noticing how many ATCs flew around the Phendrana region. Moments later, a Space Pirate force-disabled the camera feed,

"It is unfortunate that you arrived here."

"Unfortunate? How so?"

"While we did send out a distress signal, your leaving of the FS-176 star system made every planet vulnerable. You must go to Tallon IV at once."

I nodded in response.

"Good luck, Samus. And hurry."

With the briefing over, I ventured back to my ship, and re-enabled my Varia Suit.

"This was all just a ruse! We need to get out of here now!" I vented to Tyson through the communications feature within my space helmet.

No response.

"Tyson, do you hear me?"

Still no answer.

"I said 'Tyson, do you hear me?'"

Again, he did not reply.

"For god's sake, what the hell is wrong now?"

Neither Ridley nor my Gunship were on the Landing Site.

With a scream, however, my rival surprised me from behind, picking me up in his shiny, metal claws. Meta Ridley wanted to fight some more. I gladly accepted his offer, keen on showing him just how weak he really was.

The now-metallic pterodactyl gave me an aerial tour of Federation Headquarters. I soon learned that my previous strategy was far less effective this time around. The beast tried scratching at my helmet, and even attempted to bite into my Varia Suit. My armour struggled to remain online. I brought out my Paralyzer, ready to duel wield my weapons. Although I significantly injured the metallic pterodactyl, my victory was not yet clear. After stunning his tongue with a missile, I coiled my Plasma Whip around it, and made my descent onto the Landing Site. My Varia Suit was only partially online. I toyed with Meta Ridley, while waiting for my orange armour to repair itself.

Meta Ridley descended onto the Landing Site for a ground assault. I charged my Ice Beam, eager for him to approach and attempt to chomp on me once more. Whenever he proceeded to attack me with his claws or Plasma Breath, I dodged and fired. My Plasma Whip came in handy, allowing me to hold his tongue or wrist, while I shot him repeatedly.

"Ma'am, you may want to step aside."

Surprised to hear Tyson's voice again, I could not move for a moment. Meta Ridley took the opportunity to pounce on me. A pair of Ship Missiles penetrated the beast's torso. I kept my distance from the demon, wanting Tyson to keep him busy a while. Unfortunately, he avoided the second round of weapon fire, and went to attack my Gunship, wanting to prevent my means of escape.

"Blast him in the intestines, for god's sake!"

The heavy blast caused Meta Ridley to fall backward off my Gunship.

EXT. GF HEADQUARTERS – DAY

Meta Ridley falls backward from Samus' Gunship, and crashes on the Landing Site on his back. Samus charges for him, preps a large chunk of ice, and shoves her Arm Cannon into his mouth.

TYSON

Miss Aran, watch out!

Samus looks over, noticing two Ship Missiles heading her way. Meta Ridley bites into Samus' ankle. Instinctively, Samus gets into Morph Ball mode, and protects herself inside the demon's mouth. She feeds him a few atomic blasts, shortly thereafter. The metallic beast regurgitates her and a new item, the Grapple Swing. He then rolls over, and trips on the edge of the Landing Site. The demon hangs on for dear life, to which Samus, hastily and aggressively, fires missiles at his wrists and belly, sending him off to his doom.

The Grapple Swing would no longer require my need of the Paralyzer while in my Varia Suit. With my new weapon in tow, Tyson lowered the Gunship, allowing me to climb aboard and claim the pilot seat. Together, we ventured for Tallon IV. My mind went adrift during the flight. My concentration waned, lost in memory. I dreamed of my first trip to the planet, of the worm, Metroid Prime, infesting Tallon IV. The Phazon it spread ruined all natural life, particularly planets Aether and Phaaze. No planet was ever safe from Phazon's touch, and I feared that it was back; that the Space Pirates located a new source of the virus, and aimed to spread it once more.

Lost in thought of my battle against Metroid Prime, Tyson took responsibility in maintaining a safe flight path. We could not risk veering off in some other direction, when the Space Pirates could be on the hunt for something terrifying. Somehow, my thoughts of Phazon switched to a realization that there was still more pizza left, of what I made in the oven on the way to HQ. Given how much time it took for me to shower, masturbate, do the laundry, work out, and make something to eat, all while trying to get from one star system to another as fast as possible, made it incredibly difficult to even finish two slices of pizza. Especially considering Tyson's lack of internal organs, I had an entire pizza all too myself, which also meant I had to work out again to lessen any feelings of congestion while out exploring an area fit for polar bears.

Initiating a landing sequence on Phendrana Drifts. I needed to calm myself, and fast. While making our descent, Tyson and I noticed a lack of Space Pirate activity. There were no ATCs orbiting, nor were there any within the Phendrana area.

"Keep an eye on the Pirates."

"Of course, ma'am."

Exiting in to Phendrana Drifts with my Varia Suit and Arm Cannon, the blizzard conditions greeted me once more. Looking down, I noticed a large river separating two large cliffs. There were no paths leading down, only metal rails connecting the two molds of rock. After shooting down the icicles from the rails, I used my new Grapple Swing to cross the chasm. However, the rails were slippery. I needed to swap rails on occasion, in order to traverse successfully. Unsuccessful, though I tried, I fell several dozen metres. My orange armour destroyed a section of the ice, causing me to plunge beneath the surface. My Visor disabled from the cold, blinding me in the dark underwater cave.

"Tyson, you read me?"

No response.

There was no other way for me to traverse within the water. Sure, I could disable my Varia Suit and swim, but the ice water would destroy my skin in seconds. The Varia Suit allowed me to walk, though at an incredibly slow space and with an inability to Space Jump, on the riverbed, while my helmet allowed me to breathe underwater. There were moments during my blinded walk where I would trip. Not being able to see anything annoyed me. I needed to rely on my limbs to tell me where to go. Treating the riverbed like a maze, I followed the walls of ice wherever they took me. Eventually, my feet discovered a crevasse along one of the walls. Going into Morph Ball mode, a tunnel system within the cave guided me down the various paths, where warmth, oddly, greeted me on the other side.

Once I felt the walls of the tunnel grow in size, I escaped Morph Ball mode. The warmth steadily increased, and my Visor began to thaw. The software needed to restart. When my Visor was finally back to normal, I was in awe of the magic and beauty of sight. I stood on the outskirts of a riverbed arena. The surface was far above me, by several metres. That silhouette I saw on Oormine II waved at me from inside the arena. I scoured the outskirts for an entrance, eventually finding a tunnel system along the perimeter.

When rolling to the other side, the silhouette somehow opened a large hole in the earth. I watched the person jump down, to which I chased after, desperate to find out if the silhouetted person was real, or if something was wrong with my head. Perhaps the strength of the Federation star was stronger than I anticipated, and more impactful than I predicted. To my dismay, when I arrived at the center of the arena, the silhouetted person was no longer there; rather, a familiar crustacean greeted me.

Draygon looked sickly: a result placed forth by the malevolent Space Pirates and the second coming of a toxin destroying Tallon IV. The giant crustacean swam out of the hole, freely inhabiting the arena. Though I wondered if the Space Pirates trapped her in that hole, the silhouetted person I kept encountering was another mystery. It would be impossible for someone in my head to open a hole in the earth, so there had to be another explanation. Draygon growled, trying to knock down the surrounding pillars around me. There had to be some way I could face her, perhaps using the pillars to my benefit.

Draygon's anger toward me gave me the feeling that she thought I trapped her in there. If I wanted to be successful, I needed to lure her back there; the risk of allowing her to threaten Phendrana was not something I was willing to allow. My best course of action was to trap her with the surrounding pillars. Draygon read my mind, for she attempted the same procedure unto me. The crustacean being much larger than I was, I anticipated she would have a much easier time capturing me. Each column had grapple targets, a perfected opportunity to use my latest item. Draygon, additionally, had a long tongue, much like Ridley. Using my Grapple Swing, I reeled the crustacean toward me, while firing Ice and missiles down her throat. Whenever she was close enough to me, she tried to swallow me, but my continual feeding of weapon fire kept her at bay. The two of us fought along the perimeter of the hole.

Ultimately, despite my arduous fighting, Draygon managed to get me into the pit. The crustacean grabbed a hold of my Arm Cannon amidst my attack. I repeatedly attempted to get my weapon out of her mouth, even using my Grapple Swing to bash a pillar against her head. However, Draygon predicted I would do such a thing, and tossed me a few metres into the claustrophobic cylinder. The temperature being significantly colder at this level, my Visor began disabling, the technology shutting down. Once more, I was blind, and I could not recall if there was a way out from down here. The hole was far too deep for me to climb out, thus forcing me to enter Morph Ball mode and search for another way out.

Little piranha-like creatures attacked me from all directions. They always caught me by surprise; it was impossible to see the direction from which they swam. My strategy was to feed them Morph Ball bombs0 while searching a passage to safety. The creatures screamed and exploded, indicating my atomic blasts were successful. Eventually, while bomb jumping, I discovered my way out of the pit. Though I could not see them, I hoped the creatures were not small enough to fit through the tunnel. My Morph Ball form fit snug against the surrounding walls, rolling as far away from the ravenous creatures as possible. However, those fiends came at me from either ends of the tunnel.

The delay in-between the sets of three bombs was far too long; the creatures would be able shatter my armour with their teeth, by the time my bombs would recharge. The lack of a ceiling at one section of the tunnel, I bomb jumped up, where an outward path awaited. However, something blocked the way, and I could hear the piranha-like creatures heading straight for me. My bombing of the Sandstone material upset the creatures that tailed me. With the path cleared, my escape resumed. Finally, I could see the world around me once more. Seeing _"Magnet Suit online"_ appear on-screen, and a Spider Ball track in front of me, caught me off-guard. Immediately, I magnetized myself to the track, and followed it back to Draygon.

With their tiny fins, the infant Draygons swam toward me. I grappled them one by one, and tossed them back into the mother's mouth. The crustacean munched on her children, and let their toxic juices poison herself even further. The sight of which disturbed me, even causing me to gag. As familiar as I was with nature on different planets, I could never overcome certain imagery. Once Draygon swam near the targeted destination, I needed to grapple the pillars and bring them toward the hole. I managed to secure Draygon in the center of the arena, but not for long. The crustacean shattered the lowered pillar, using brute force. I fought rigorously against her, wanting to keep her inside the hole, but Draygon was keen on having her freedom. I needed her in that hole to prevent her from spreading the virus she spewed. Draygon would birth her toxic children orally.

After facing the crustacean's wrath a while, targeting her soft belly with Ice and missiles, I lured her back into the hole. I then grappled onto her defensive back shell, and yanked it out of reach. Following this, I sealed the crustacean with two pillars. A part of me felt cruel, watching Draygon continually trying to free herself from the hole, but I knew that I could never save her from the toxins she faced. Draygon was hopeless, giving me the chance to expose her mouth and belly to take her out. However, she released more children at the last second, distracting me.

The second round of infant Draygons was far more aggravating than the first. Because of their constant biting nature, it would be impossible to grapple and toss them back at their mother. Rather, I needed to kill them myself, creating toxic explosions in the water. While fighting the infant Draygons, their mother tried to lure me to the center, spewing poison at me, and even biting my leg. I needed to keep my distance from Draygon for a while; however, that would not last long. My focus kept alternating between the mother and the children, which slowly proved unsuccessful for me. My strength decreased, constantly receiving bites on my armoured fingers and legs. Ultimately, I decided to shapeshift into Morph Ball form, and entered Draygon's mouth. The crustacean gratefully chomped on my metallic body, to which I fed her bombs. She growled and spat me out, in a fit of rage. Returning to my normal shape, I let the mother devour more of her children. I then targeted her, ready with another round of Ice and missiles, and sealed her in the hole with every remaining pillar in the arena.

I wondered how I might complete my task, with Draygon now trapped beneath a large pile of pillars. There was a faint two-tone alarm in the distance, which eventually caught my attention. The sound came from the perimeter of the arena. Racing for the outer tunnel in my spherical form, I made my way to the other side. Along the way, I discovered a bomb slot, which drained the hole in the arena, removing Draygon's life support. When returning to Draygon, I heard another two-tone alarm coming from the pillars. Grappling them one by one, back into their former upright position, eventually revealed that two of the pillars could split in half. Green, shiny walls rose from those halves all the way above the water. Utilizing the new gravitational and magnetic properties of my Magnet Suit, I escaped the hole, and bounced back and forth across the pair of green walls. Magnetic rails awaited me near the top, which I could access with Morph Ball mode. One of the rails led me to a Hand Scanner, which permanently closed the hole.

The harsh cold returned, as I distanced myself from the strangely warm arena. Luckily, my Visor did not disable; yet, I was still unable to contact Tyson.

"Fuck right off..."

When I finally escaped Phendrana River, another Hand Scanner awaited me. Activating it caused the arena to rise nine metres. It was then clear to me that I constructed a Gunship Lift. When summoning my ship, I noticed dents and cracks all over, particularly on the shaft and Ship Visor. I entered, disabling my Magnet Suit, and looked around the interior. My ship was a mess: my bed was not the way I left it; there were glass bottles of orange soda on my floor; my fridge was empty; and there were shards of glass and metal everywhere. To my surprise, Tyson still sat in the cockpit, but he was offline. Savage beasts ripped him open, and stole his artificial intelligence. It would be impossible to reconfigure Tyson without his brain. My next course of action was to find out what happened while I was away. I assumed the Space Pirates played a role in this mess.

Setting my course for Bilium, the closest planet to the Federation star, I had a feeling the goo I discovered on FS-176 might exist on Bilium as well. This additionally meant that I needed to fly through the Zebesian asteroid field. Until then, I set the controls to autopilot, and cleaned my home. I could not stand the thought of such brute monsters invading my home. The present state of my Gunship displeased me to no end. I put away any belongings that were not in their place, cleaned the soda and glass off my kitchen floor, and organized everything the way it should be. The Pirates knew I would leave my ship to investigate, giving them opportune time to figure out how to unlock the Gunship, shut down Tyson, and get anything else they might need. As I organized and cleaned, I paid particular attention to my surroundings. I wanted to know what else they stole from me, whether bounty earnings or personal belongings. Tyson had plenty of data stored to his brain, which would give them sufficient information.

Pulling out my safe from under my bed, I checked to see if the Space Pirates stole any of my money. Although dents indicated they tried to open it, they had no luck getting access to my earnings. My worry for my robot companion increased. The shuffled music that played off my holo-phone was of no help, either, conveniently playing songs that made me dwell on those thoughts. Sitting next to an unconscious Tyson in the cockpit was uncomfortable. I felt as though I was in a hospital room with a deceased loved one. Getting to Bilium as soon as possible was a top priority. The longer I flew in my Gunship, the worse I felt.

When I finished cleaning my bedroom, kitchen, observatory, and cockpit, the asteroid field was dangerously close. Taking the helm, I attempted to dodge any asteroid in my path. Bilium was vaguely visible, guarded by gigantic rocks. I tried not to look at Tyson when I flew. Thoughts of him continued, but I needed to get us to the planet safely. One misstep and both of us would be dead. It was my duty to keep the both of us intact. I could not risk putting both of our lives in further danger.

When we finally made it out of the asteroid field, I began the landing procedures. I scoured the planet for Space Pirate activity. Any spaceships or toxic monsters would influence where I would land. Both of which, I soon discovered, inhabited the southern rainforest. Like Oormine II, Bilium had the appearance of an alternate reality: an orange sky, purple water, cyan grass, and teal trees. As I suspected, Space Pirates were everywhere, presumably mining the planet for the toxic slime. I feared they would use the poison to recreate Metroid Prime in some capacity, which was not something I could allow.

My destination was deep within the rainforest, where a malignant beast lived. Reapplying my Magnet Suit and exiting the Gunship, I set off on my mission, hopeful that recovering Tyson's intelligence would be simple. Rain and thunder greeted me in the Bilium Overworld, purple droplets landing on my hunter green suit. The large leaves did their best to protect me. To my knowledge, an underground cave existed within the forest. I walked along the damp, squishy grass for minutes, befuddled by the location of this grotto. My map and radar did not indicate anywhere where this place would be. It was only when I started rolling around that I discovered hidden Spider Ball tracks along some of the large, leafy trees. Those magnetic rails led me to bomb slots, crept inside the tree trunks. After bombing the first slot, a timer counted down, indicating I had limited time to bomb the others. Rather than following the rail back down, I simply demagnetized myself, and rolled to the next Spider Ball track. Once I bombed all four slots within the time limit, which were all significantly distant from each other, a hole in the ground opened.

I rode the complex Spider Ball tracks to the bottom, entering the dark, dank cave. There were dust-like particles throughout, which clouded my vision ever so slightly. On occasion, I would need to wipe my Visor to see anything. The cave was low; I could easily touch the ceiling. What sort of monster lived beneath the rainforest, one could not say concretely. A number of large footprints that concaved the earth. My immediate thought was to follow them and see where they would lead me. The cave's ceiling was higher, on the opposite side. Although, as I looked closer, it became clear to me that either someone or something shattered its original height. The cave was also wider, rather than being a tight, enclosed space. Twelve harlequin-coloured eyes greeted me.

Making the first move, I charged toward the reptilian beast, and attacked him with ice. Despite the low visibility, one could make out a shiny Spider Ball track leading up his tail and spine. I rolled up Kraid-X's backside, only for him to grab me in his claw. His palm glowing yellow, I bombed my escape. The colossus screamed in pain. Once back in my normal shape, I fired a pair of missiles down his throat. He tried clawing at me again, but I quickly responded by freezing his upper limbs, and annihilated them with missiles. The colossus began shooting spikes at me from his belly. Whenever I dodged them successfully, I would target Ice and missiles at the reptilian's round belly. Kraid-X screamed even more, to which I fed him additional missiles.

This beast was a threat to the rainforest, the poison he manifested deteriorating the roots of trees and the earth on which everything grew. I could not allow such an organism to thrive on this planet nor anywhere else, for that matter. I needed to up the ante somehow; causing intestinal pain to the reptilian seemed the most reasonable. I tried being more reactionary to Kraid-X's attacks. When he would claw at me, I would crush his claw; when he would try to eat me, I would feed him bombs; and when he would shoot spikes at me, I would dodge and shove my Arm Cannon into his lowest belly hole. Of the three holes, the upper and middle ones were far too high for me to reach. Firing missiles was my best bet, but even then, I was not always successful. I continued my reactionary tactics regardless, until the toxicity manifested his body entirely.

The parasite living inside the reptilian, its corruptive nature spreading across Kraid-X's internal structure, caused his scales to turn red. The colossus somehow developed a magnetized exterior, allowing me to utilize my Spider Ball ability. Whenever the angry beast would leave an opening, I would alter my shape into Morph Ball form and glue to his belly. In my attempt at dodging a variety of attacks, I entered Kraid-X's digestive system. A toxic core overpowered the beast's body. His innards were hazardous and corrosive. A series of explosions onto the ooze-dripping tentacles that surrounded me caused a violent reaction.

Ultimately, the parasite was successful in forcing me out of Kraid-X's interior. I fired missile after missile into the beast's belly holes, all while dodging his attacks. The Core-X extrapolated in size, swallowing the colossus completely, just as the black phlegm swallowed the Federation star. I had no means of destroying this parasite: my Ice Beam and missiles were useless. I checked the cave with my Scan and Command Visors for any openings. After summoning my ship to blast open the ceiling with Ship Missiles, I decided to wrench at the Core-X with the Ship Grapple. The parasite abhorred the sensation: it attempted to latch onto my Gunship with its tentacles. I destroyed them with missiles, every chance I had. Getting parasitic matter inside of my Gunship meant putting Tyson at risk.

Wherever the Ship Grapple would leave an opening within the Core-X, I tried penetrating the parasite with Ice and Ship Missiles. The Core-X unleashed its ooze-dripping tentacles at me. My rapid firing was insufficient, the tentacles merely flailing. I dodged to the best of my ability; I even tried to enter my Gunship. However, as I reached for the hatch, the tentacles grabbed hold of my legs, and reeled me in. I told my Gunship via Arm Cannon to wrench at me instead. Reaching for the Ship Grapple, I held on for dear life. I then told my Gunship to fire another set of Ship Missiles at the Core-X. The tentacles threw me onto the cave floor, reacting to the blast. The remaining missiles firing at the yanked opening, the Core-X exploded into particles. An unconscious Kraid landed in front of me, a new item in his mouth.

Opening my Arm Cannon to find an empty Beam slot, I installed the Purge Beam. Collecting the particles in the air allowed me to shoot a lifeless Core-X into the open ceiling. This new Beam intrigued me, curious of how it might serve its purpose during my mission. With the battle over, and the particles gone, I returned my Gunship. The Space Pirates, oddly, were few and far in-between. The observatory in my Gunship would be my best means of finding them. While scanning the vicinity for any lifeforms and noticeable hazards, it soon came to my attention that the carnivorous attention-seekers stored large quantities of toxic matter inside a nearby volcano. I walked over to the cockpit, targeted the nearest Landing Site, and set off for my next destination.

Seeing Tyson in the co-pilot seat reminded me of how alone I used to be. Having a companion this past while was interesting. Though I still had full responsibility, it was nice splitting the tasks. I continued to remain hopeful that his intelligence somewhere was in the volcano.

"I'll get you back soon, Tyson. I promise."

While flying around Bilium, I had my Ship Missiles auto refill. It was important to maintain stock, as they could be necessary at any moment. My Gunship auto repaired nicely, my Ship Visor no longer cracked. The nearby volcano was massive. Entering through the caldera incredibly carefully, I did not want to destroy the woven paths of molten rock, in the case that of my need to travel on-foot.

EXT. GF HEADQUARTERS: CORRIDOR – DAY

Samus, in her Zero Suit, walks down to the R&D lab. Seeing Combat Troopers in the Training Grounds brings a smile to her face.

EXT/INT. GF HEADQUARTERS: R&D – DAY

Samus enters the lab.

INT. GF HEADQUARTERS: R&D – DAY

Samus sees a lab assistant polishing Tyson's legs and feet. She walks over. The lab assistant powers Tyson online once finished. The robot scans Samus for a brief analysis.

TYSON

Miss Aran, what a pleasure it is to meet you.

Samus nods.

TYSON

Ah, yes. Identification: Research Android Mk15.

The lab assistant gently taps Tyson a couple times.

LAB ASSISTANT

Your name is Tyson.

TYSON

Is this designation in my programming? Perhaps a full-body scan is in order.

SAMUS

(sighs)

Are you ready to go?

Samus starts walking toward the exit. Tyson pauses for a moment, surprised to see her so anxious to leave, and then follows.

TYSON

Quite. Exploring beyond the exterior of this facility will prove  
essential for my research. I am certain we will make many interesting discoveries together!

SAMUS

Mm-hmm...

TYSON

(stops at the door, to the lab assistant)

Sir, is there anything else you need of me?

LAB ASSISTANT

Not at all, Tyson. Just remember to-

The ground rumbles. Missiles fire into the lab, shattering the windows, computers, and production models. Following the debris, Samus and the others notice five ATCs just outside the lab.

SAMUS

Everyone, get to safety! Let me handle this!

The scientists evacuate. Samus activates her Varia Suit. She watches the Space Pirates enter the lab.

I wondered why the Pirates chose to visit Federation HQ. Certainly, they had an objective, but I was unsure as to what it was. The Space Pirates fought belligerently, attacking the laboratory with all their might. Tyson held onto my hips from behind, quivering.

"Tyson, you can let go! They'll be out of here in no time!"

"What do they want from us?"

"I don't know. We'll find out soon."

Preventing us from chatting any longer, a missile flew straight for us.

"Watch out!"

Lifting up Tyson inside, we manoeuvred away from the missile at the last possible second, securing his safety. However, once I began destroying the ventilation shafts of the ATCs, an odd sensation fell when me. When turning around, I discovered a Space Pirate dragging Tyson away.

The Combat Troopers across the hall, no longer training, likely battled the Pirates elsewhere in the facility. A number of scientists were dead in the corridor. Splatters of blood painted the hallway floor. Space Pirates exited from the elevators at both sides of the corridor. I targeted missiles at those on one side, and used my Power Beam against those on the other side, getting Tyson back in the process.

"Stay close!"

These fiends were fierce, willing to face any tactic I tossed at them.

Using brute force was integral to killing every one of the Space Pirates in the corridor. However, compared to the magnificent beasts in other tense situations, the Pirates were among the weakest species. As such, martial arts, in addition to the simplest of weapons, would destroy the Space Pirates with ease. Along our trek up to the second floor, Geemers somehow entered the elevator shaft. It was odd that the Pirates would bring other lifeforms with them. I presumed they destroyed the stasis tanks in the analysis chamber.

"Perhaps the Space Pirates are looking for a particular lifeform."

"Like what? Metroids?"

"They certainly have an attachment to the species."

"Locate both of them for me."

"Yes, ma'am."

Arriving on the second floor, I investigated the analysis chamber. Every stasis tank was empty; not a single creature was in the room. Dead scientists were on the floor and at their desks. Savage Metroids gorged out the eyes from the researchers' sockets. A series of power outages proceeded my discovery, eventually knocking out all of the lights in Federation HQ.

Strangely, the sounds of Pirate activity ended. The only noises I could hear were my breath and footsteps, which seemed loud in comparison to the otherworldly silence. The GF Troopers in the corridor kept an eye out for any surprises, pointing their weapons in every direction. I took the stairs up to the third floor, hoping to have better luck.

"I have those locations ready for you, ma'am, as requested."

"Thank you, Tyson."

The third floor seemed much more promising, the area in much better condition than the previous levels, but I grew worried for the Aurora Unit on the fifth floor. With the power randomly turning on and off, I entered the lift, pressed the _5F_ button, and made my way to the top.

The biohazard and DNA scans were without power. Given the downfall of 313 on Valhalla, I feared what the Pirates might try with the hierarchical Aurora Unit. The Metroids heard me enter the final corridor, and raced toward me to feast on me like the others. The jellyfish-like creatures ganged up on me, grabbing my body all over with their tentacles. The Metroids even bit through my suit and flesh to cause me pain. Tyson immediately backed away, and tried helping me remotely, but none of his attempts worked. I grew weaker, the Metroids draining my energy. My eyesight began to wane, their tiny teeth beginning to pierce the sclera. It was then that I realized I stood inside the volcano of Bilium South, my vivid daydream finally over.

"How'd I get this far out already?"

The volcano rumbled ceaselessly; lava spurted constantly from the base. I decided to follow the constructed paths within to begin my search for the Pirates' storage facility. I was careful to destroy Puffers, as their fumes would impair my vision. The Pirates installed Auto Defense Turrets on the undersides of the paths. Annihilating them from a distance felt like the best strategy, preferring not to lose any energy. Oddly enough, my map indicated that I was already at the location of the Pirates' storage. Scanning the volcano for anything of note, Talloric Alloy protected one side of the path nearest me. Bombing the alloy granted me access inside the molten rock itself. Within, I found a bomb slot, which initiated severe tremors. My heart raced, watching the lava begin to rise.

The solid molten rock cracked and crumbled, the lava splashing everywhere. I ran as fast as I could in my Magnet Suit. My Grapple Swing came in handy, allowing me to cross chasms left behind by the missing paths. Approaching the caldera, I noticed a Hand Scanner against the volcano wall. The lava was dangerously close. When scanning my hand, the lava rose even faster.

"Oh, no! Please! No, no, no!"

I repeatedly scanned my hand, trying to cancel my request. The hazard warning on my Command Visor continued to rise. Despite my reactionary attempt at escaping through the caldera, there was nothing substantial to grapple. Fortunately, my Scan Visor identified a hidden cave. I blasted my way through the Brinstone with a missile, and rode the slide all the way down the volcano. A Hand Scanner awaited me at the bottom. I needed to hurry, before the lava would enter the cave and drown me.

Scanning my hand once more, the lava stopped and receded. The sudden halt in movement caused several droplets to enter the cave. The rumbling softened, gradually stopping entirely. Some Talloric Alloy nearby revealed a Spider Ball track leading beneath the Landing Site. What remained of the lava dripped off my Gunship. The magnetic track led me into the Space Pirates' secret facility, guarded by Auto Defense Turrets. When obliterating them with my missiles, the silence that followed was brief; I heard the screeches of Metroids again. The Space Pirates expected my arrival: they arranged Metroid stasis tanks in such a way that would lead me to the largest tank of all. Nearly the size of the volcano's circumference, the magnificent stasis tank housed a wretched creature, a Parasite King.

The Parasite King thrived directly beneath the volcano, spreading his corruption into the core of the planet. Watching him regurgitate miniature Core-Xs through the slit in the tank, I used my new Purge Beam to collect his parasitic puke, and then forced him to swallow his own corruption. To my surprise, the Metroids around me broke free on their own. Although I attempted to retain my focus on the gargantuan, the Metroids continued to distract me. Eventually, I gave in, and killed them with Ice and Morph Ball bombs. Before I could even feed him any more, the foul monster already had another round of Core-Xs ready for me. The parasites absorbed the Metroids' remains, and restructured themselves to become Core-X Metroids. These corrupted creatures were much more of a nuisance than they were in their previous form. The aggressive jellyfish-like species forced my requiring of the Ice Beam, missiles, and Morph Ball bombs at an even greater level, in order to destroy them.

After exploding the guts of the Core-X Metroids, it was my duty to feed the giant beast the nutrients of his kin. After receiving continual doses of nourishment, the Parasite King collapsed from excessive corruption. The stasis tank stopped rotating; his head stuck out of the slit. A slimy tentacle emerged from his mouth, trying to take me for his own. I resisted as best I could, but the tentacle ultimately managed to reel me in. The Core-Xs within wanted to add my power to make the gargantuan even stronger. Consumed completely by the tentacles, my face, body, and all travelled down the monster's esophagus, my armour disabling along the way. The light darkened behind me, as the mucus monster's mouth closed. Recreated Core-X Metroids joined me inside the monster's stomach. Core-Xs of all sizes filled the interior, with walls of partially solidified phlegm protecting them. My way out was so far away, and it would be impossible to climb my way back out. The tentacles and Core-X Metroids wished to play with me. I brought out my Paralyzer, and fought them until my Magnet Suit re-enabled.

Unleashing a series of bombs initiated a chain reaction, the toxicity spreading even further. The smaller Core-Xs conjoined inside the Parasite King's abdomen. Unleashing bombs in my attempt to escape created doubly more chaos inside of the monster. Within seconds of freeing myself, I watched the Core-X expand and consume the mucus monster as if a massive embryo suddenly came to be. No matter what I attempted, there was absolutely no way for me to penetrate the Core-X. Ooze-dripping tentacles emerged from the embryo, trying to stop me. All this excitement in the volcano exhausted me, steadily losing my ability to fight. Although I tried to defend myself, my strength was not all there. As a result, the Mega Core-X consumed me.

INT. MEGA CORE-X – NIGHT

Samus sleeps in the fetal position alongside the Parasite King, inside of a massive Core-X.

INT. BILIUM SOUTH: SPACE PIRATE FACILITY – NIGHT

The Mega Core-X births regular-sized Core-Xs, which merge into a humanoid shape. An entity living within disobeys the laws of the parasite, and breaks herself free from the Core-X. SAMUS ARAN-X emerges, although in the Varia Suit. The Samus clone uses her strength to obliterate both the Mega Core-X and the Parasite King. Samus hits the ground hard.

INT. SAMUS' COMBAT VISOR – NIGHT

Samus slowly opens her eyes, barely catching a glimpse of the other person in the facility. She gets up off the ground, and looks around at the damage done.

INT. BILIUM SOUTH: SPACE PIRATE FACILITY – NIGHT

Samus gets up off the ground, and looks around at the damage done.

A small glass cylinder awaited me in the Parasite King's stasis tank. Using my Arm Cannon to destroy the glass, I claimed the Radiation Shield. The lime-coloured shoulder pads matched my hunter green Magnet Suit. Automatically, the Shield absorbed every parasitic particle in the facility, and filled my Purge Beam stock with Parasite Ammo. No longer, did I need to wait for battle; I could finally carry a storage of my own. With the possibility of the Space Pirates returning at any moment, I felt much safer now with backup ammunition. However, this lengthy battle made me incredibly weary, needing a break before resuming my hunt of Tyson's brain.

My radar revealed no indication of my companion's intelligence. I did not see any blips on my map, either. Luckily, Space Pirate Data gave me a clue: the Pirates brought Tyson's brain to this facility. They studied and analyzed it, planning to utilize it on the Parasite King from an even more terrifying creature with Tyson as a basis. Knowing my Ship Visor to better at finding lifeforms than the technology within my helmet, I returned to my space vessel. Returning to my more comfortable suit, my holographic, intergalactic map awaited me in the observatory.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: OBSERVATORY – NIGHT

Samus approaches her interactive map, and begins to use it. She scours the FS-176 star system for any lifeforms, particularly, on Bilium and the surrounding area. She finds life in the southern sector, at the volcano.

SAMUS

But that's me, isn't it?

She zooms in even further.

SAMUS

Yeah, so where did this other lifeform go?

The engine powers on unexpectedly. Samus' Gunship begins taking off. Samus stumbles. She walks over to the cockpit, when regaining her balance.

INT/EXT. BILIUM SOUTH: VOLCANO – NIGHT

SA-X flies the Gunship out of the erupting volcano, and into the sky.

INT/EXT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – NIGHT

Samus enters the cockpit.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – NIGHT

SA-X, still in their Varia Suit, pilots the Gunship. Samus pulls out her Paralyzer, and points it at SA-X.

INT/EXT. BILIUM – NIGHT

SA-X flies the Gunship into outer space.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – NIGHT

SA-X turns on the autopilot, and then points her Arm Cannon at Samus.

SA-X

(slowly, enunciating)

Take a seat.

SAMUS

What-?

SA-X fires a missile at lifeless Tyson, causing his metallic body to fall off the right side of the co-pilot seat. SA-X's actions toward Tyson startle Samus. SA-X pushes Samus into the vacant seat. Samus is hesitant to move. SA-X wrestles the Paralyzer away from Samus, and pushes her into the seat with her Arm Cannon.

SAMUS

Tyson...? Are you...?

SA-X

What designation did you just give me?

SAMUS

I... called you Tyson...

SA-X

The name disgusts me.

Awkward silence. SA-X returns to her flying.

SAMUS

You could've just asked me to fly you!

SA-X

No. You would not have taken me.

SAMUS

Well, what about the Space Pirates?

SA-X turns her head toward Samus.

SA-X

Do not affiliate me with those imbeciles. I am independent.

SAMUS

(awkward)

Me... too...

Samus looks out the window, realizing they are now in an asteroid field. She takes the co-pilot position, in order to avoid any collisions. SA-X notices this, and uses her Power Beam on Samus' hands. She jumps.

SA-X

Hands off!

SAMUS

We'll get in an accident, the way you're so carelessly flying  
around!

SA-X

I am doing my best! Just sit there!

SAMUS

You're going to kill us!

Samus still tries to take charge. She and SA-X almost shoot each other, while fighting over the pilot controls.

EXT. FS-176: ASTEROID FIELD – NIGHT

Samus and SA-X pilot the Gunship horribly. Their recklessness causes the ship to collide with a few asteroids, veering them off their flight path to Tallon IV.

EXT. FS-176: TALLON IV – NIGHT

The damaged Gunship approaches the planet.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – NIGHT

Samus and SA-X rapidly mess around with the controls, trying to soften their landing.

SAMUS

This was all your fault!

SA-X

Do not blame me. My aptitude for flying is greater than what you could ever hope to achieve.

SAMUS

It's my ship!

SA-X

Your ship will be nonexistent soon.

EXT. TALLON IV: PHENDRANA RIVER – NIGHT

The Gunship heads straight for a snowy cliff.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – NIGHT

Samus forces the Landing Site on the cliff to descend.

EXT. TALLON IV: PHENDRANA RIVER – NIGHT

The Landing Site descends several metres to where Samus fought Draygon. Samus and SA-X begin their attempt to land the Gunship in the river.

The cliff loomed closer at a frightening pace. We needed our altitude to be high enough, so that we could manoeuvre into the hole. I began our direct descent, plunging my Gunship straight for the riverbed.

"How do I slow down?"

"What do you mean? You figured out how to fly my ship; you should know how to land!"

A roaring splash of ice water spumed from the cliff, when we dove into the hole. I checked the map for the arena walls, and targeted Ship Missiles to blow them up, so that we could pass through and keep flying.

My Gunship was not yet ready to land: we did not decelerate fast enough.

"Another big turn! Brace yourself!"

This turn was just as big a risk as the last one: if we failed, the ship would be in ruin, and we would die.

"You got it?"

"Yes!"

As we rotated the Gunship into an upright position, I noticed Space Pirate ATCs on the radar.

"Tyson— I mean, Sam! You like 'Sam'?"

"Whatever! What do you want?"

"Can you manage the ship by yourself?"

"What? Why?"

Ignoring my clone, I activated my Magnet Suit, equipped my Arm Cannon, and walked over to the exit hatch.

Thirty-five Space Pirates were after us. Using every missile at my disposal, including Ship Missiles, I intended to make every enemy ship explode. The Space Pirates even attacked us from the front. Because of my constant pivots, I was jittery on the Gunship hatch. There were moments where I feared that I might fall. The Space Pirates weakened me severely, but I was eventually able of destroying every last ATC. Exhausted, I returned inside, removing my armour and sitting in the co-pilot seat.

"We almost on the ground?"

"Almost!"

With our last efforts, my clone and I braced for impact. We were close to the riverbed, and the Gunship flew much slower than before. As best as we could, the two of us got the ship to land.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – NIGHT

Samus breathes a sigh of relief.

SAMUS

We did it...!

SA-X gets out of the pilot seat, and walks over to the exit hatch.

SAMUS

Where are you going?

Samus hears SA-X exit. She gets up from the co-pilot seat, and activates her armour.

Combining my knowledge of the latest Space Pirate Data with the birth of my clone, it was clear to me that Tyson was not dead, but reborn. I felt an obligation to rescue him from the new body he inhabited. Although I believed this to be true, his voice was unrecognizable; not just in timbre and octave, but in his manner of speaking. She spoke differently than he did. She was a new entity all together. Perhaps this 'Sam' or 'Samus Aran-X,' or 'SA-X' was the voice of the parasite. The X-virus now had a humanoid form, which was my duty to purge in its entirety. I feared that, when or if it might come to it, I might have to kill my robot friend. My task was to locate SA-X and stop her before it was too late. In fact, she was easy to follow. Miniature Core-Xs floated in the water. My Radiation Shield absorbed them as I approached. When collecting them all, I heard the screeches of Metroids in the distance. The further I followed the paths and platforms, while killing aggressive sea dwellers in my way, the louder the Metroids became. It was not before long that I found them congregating around my clone.

EXT. PHENDRANA RIVER: RIVERBED – NIGHT

Ice Metroids surround SA-X, tickling her Varia Suit. SA-X smiles and laughs. Samus watches from a distance.

SA-X

You are such cute, little jellyfish!

The Ice Metroids screech in glee, which Samus mistakes for anger. Samus approaches.

SAMUS

Leave them alone! They don't like to be touched!

SA-X pets them. The Ice Metroids cuddle with her. Samus watches in confusion.

SA-X

(pointing at Samus)

What do you think of her?

The Ice Metroids screech at Samus. One attaches itself to her helmet, to which Samus goes into Morph Ball mode, and kills it with a bomb. The remaining Ice Metroids cry in fear, snuggling SA-X tight. Samus exits Morph Ball mode.

SA-X

Can you not see that they just need someone to love them? _(to the Metroids)_ Could you give us a moment?

The Ice Metroids listen to SA-X, swimming elsewhere in the river. Once they are far enough away, Samus and SA-X point their Arm Cannons at each other.

SA-X

Why did you follow me?

SAMUS

I'm not letting you escape with what's mine.

SA-X

How could I possibly have something of yours? I didn't steal anything from your ship!

SAMUS

Technically, you did.

SA-X

What?

SAMUS

My friend-

SA-X

The robot? Just reboot his software.

SAMUS

It's not that simple! You have-

SA-X

There is nothing in my possession that belongs to you-

Samus fires a missile at SA-X, pushing her back.

SAMUS

Give it back.

SA-X growls.

A sudden thrust from the river's current initiated our battle. The river moved us, as we fought. SA-X was capable of disobeying the laws of water, floating upward toward the surface. She moved as if she could fly, which made it incredibly difficult for me to follow close behind and maintain a strong target of her. I tried firing missiles at her in an attempt to knock her back down onto the riverbed, but my Power and Ice Beams barely caused any damage. For a while, I pondered what I could try, when I remembered the full stock of Parasite Ammo that was still at my disposal. Aiming it for SA-X, I could finally relish in the sound of her pain. Core-Xs suddenly surrounded my clone, protecting her. Their shapes were far too large for my Radiation Shield to absorb. I first needed to condense their sizes, whether with my Ice Beam, Grapple Swing, or missiles.

Once the parasites were small enough, my Radiation Shield auto refilled my Purge Beam. With fewer of them obstructing my vision, I noticed SA-X already escaped.

"Where did she go?"

Because of the current, I could not check if my clone ventured up to the surface. My only option was to move forward. The Ice Metroids raced over to me, surrounding me, knowing I put their guardian at risk. My only means of destroying them were missiles and Morph Ball bombs. Considering my experience with Metroids, I needed to kill the hostile beasts immediately.

The current led me to SA-X successfully, who awaited me at the shore. I let her watch me kill the last Ice Metroid, feeling proud by doing so. I hoped that these images of me feeling the adrenaline in killing creatures would send her the message that I was not just some explorer, but a mercenary. SA-X floated upward to the cliffs on the other side of the river. When noticing a Spider Ball track, I used it to follow her. She fired various beams and missiles at me, while I rolled along the magnetized track to face her. When I finally arrived, SA-X chuckled, and floated over to the next snowy cliff. Luckily, Gliders flew above the river. Their magnetic underbellies allowed me to use my Grapple Swing to cross the river. Unlike in Morph Ball form, I was able to fire at SA-X while swinging. Our battle did not fully resume on the second cliff, nor the third or fourth. Among the sound of beams, missiles, and parasitic life, I heard Metroids again.

SA-X and I ultimately stood atop the mountain in which Ice Metroids lived. My clone encased herself with a Mega Core-X. SA-X slept in a fetal position, as though the parasite were an embryo. I tried everything in my power to penetrate the Mega Core-X, but nothing worked. Thin layers of ice existed on the surface of the mountaintop. My Morph Ball bombs destroyed them with ease. The majority of the cavities led me to aggravating Ice Metroids, while one led me to the weapon that would shatter my clone's shell: Super Missiles. A Glider was barely within reach, after blasting open a hole in the mountain with my new weapon. The possibility of my failing to grapple onto the underbelly of the Glider made me worry that I might plunge back into the river.

Three SA-Xs emerged, when I shattered the Mega Core-X with a Super Missile. Growing more powerful, the carbon copy trio used newfound jet boosters in their metal boots to escape into outer space. Although star struck at first, I was eventually able to summon my Gunship and leap onto the hatch. The SA-Xs flew in different directions, forcing me to traverse great distances across the star system. I needed to find the real SA-X; only one of them possessed Tyson's brain. After exploding the parasitic guts of the first fake clone, I raced after the second SA-X, heading toward the asteroid field left behind by planet Zebes. Ultimately, the true SA-X ventured for the Federation star, FS-176. Although flying all over the star system for a measly robot brain irritated me, I tried to retain my composure.

When I arrived on FS-176, however, my clone was nowhere in sight. Wondering where she might be, I checked my radar. Strangely, my Gunship identified a lifeform directly behind me. I had the autopilot land the ship for me, wanting to learn just who it was that tailed me. The holographic map in my observatory labelled Ridley as the culprit, flying at a rapid pace to catch up to me. With the landing procedures initiating, I made my way to the exit hatch. Though he bore a new physique, I fought the beast with even more fervour and vigour than ever before.

"How are you still alive?"

Neo Ridley screamed at me, and unleashed an icy, parasitic breath.

"Yeah, to hell with you, too! Mad bastard..."

My Radiation Shield collected his toxicity, which I fired back into his big mouth. Resulting in no damage, I instead tried a Super Missile. Neo Ridley screeched, and motioned to crush my ship. Immediately, using the technology within my Arm Cannon, I had the Gunship fly away from the battlefield. The parasitic demon barely tripped, to which I shoved my Arm Cannon into his mouth, and fed him another Super Missile. Following a mighty chomp, a frosted tentacle clung to my Arm Cannon.

I tried with all my might to release my arm from the tentacle's grasp, but the X-parasite within Ridley wanted to play with me. My stock of Parasite Ammo was empty; Ice did nothing, nor did Power. With Super Missiles requiring five per use, my missile count decreased at an alarming rate. I needed to be cautious how I used them, especially considering a likely return to battle against SA-X. An additional Super Missile successfully got the disgusting tentacle off my arm, and caused the toxic pterodactyl to crash onto the Landing Site. Neo Ridley prowled over me, ready to feast on a late-night snack. Silver veins glowed along his underbelly. Icy tentacles spread his mouth wide open. The beast screamed yet again, after a nice meal of Morph Ball bombs. The silver veins began popping out of his body, revealing to be tentacles. His body ruptured at an alarming rate, the X-parasite growing in size until it swallowed him whole.

The destruction of the monstrous, parasitic embryo caused SA-X to fly out and crash next to me on the Landing Site. The Mega Core-X reformed into a series of smaller, icy Core-Xs. Taking initiative while my clone was immobile, the use of my Purge Beam and Radiation Shield allowed me to collect every bit of toxicity until _"Maximum storage reached"_ appeared on my Visor; the rest floated in mid-air. Just as I finished collecting, SA-X rose from the ground. My clone ventured inside of the space station. I followed her, firing Parasite Ammo at her from every room. Our battle resumed on the other side, in front of the Federation star. I continued to fire the parasites at my clone, which weakened her further. However, I soon learned this to be yet another ruse.

SA-X tricked me into using the Parasite Ammo, as it powered the star with Dark energy. My clone allowed the Federation star to swallow her, transforming the artificial orb of light into an entirely new parasite embryo. I knew not to mess with the star directly, given what happened the previous time. Instead, I made my way to the control room, using a pillar's tunnel to reach it. With my best efforts, I attempted to purge the virus within the corrupted star. While the process initialized, the battle could resume and finish. The combination of corruption and light allowed SA-X to grow and develop to the point that, when she finally escaped, she would wield the form that the Space Pirates meant for her to take.

Dark Samus-X possessed counterparts to my Purge Beam and Radiation Shield. None of my beams or missiles penetrated her armour easily; her new Dark Suit protected her even better than her former Varia Suit. I needed to rely on the extraction process to asphyxiate my clone. As the process continued, and as more Light energy returned to the Federation star, my Radiation Shield began collecting the dark, parasitic sludge. The substance became more of a viscous fluid, like baking chocolate. I utilized the Dark Ammo from my Purge Beam toward my rival, expecting it to do nothing; when in fact, it made her more powerful. My clone's attacks were more severe than the last. I lost energy faster, growing weaker; all this fighting finally got to me. I needed this battle to be over, so that I could stop and breathe.

It was my every intention to overpower the star, repeating the chaos my actions caused weeks ago. However, unlike the last time I visited FS-176, this mission would be much more successful. When the Light energy finally took its course, my Radiation Shield began collecting Light Ammo. We fought each other in a battle of Dark versus Light. Our attacks weakened each other to the same extent, cursed by the energy source that opposed us. The Federation star, meanwhile, grew in power. As such, the strength of Light Ammo increased. I utilized as much Light energy as I could carry, eventually disabling her Dark Suit. With her Varia Suit back online, SA-X really felt the power of Light throughout her body. Her screams of pain and terror were bone chilling.

The Federation star called unto the both of us with its magnetism. We held on tight to the nearby pillars, neither of us wanting the star to swallow us.

"Here, take... this!"

I looked over at SA-X, her Varia Suit melting away before myeyes. A skeleton inhabited the orange armour. She ripped out the blue light that glowed from her skull.

"What... are you... doing? The star... is going to—"

"Take it! Save... your... friend!"

I released my left hand from the pillar, and tried to grab the hunk of metal.

"I... can't... reach!"

"You can... do... it!"

I struggled and struggled, and just as I was about to snag it, multiple silver tentacles glimmering with light latched onto my clone, cocooning her.

"Sam!"

SA-X tried holding on tight to my legs, only for the star to devour and electrocute her to death.

EXT. FS-176: STAR PLATFORM – NIGHT

With the magnetism over, Samus falls onto the ground. She tries not to look at SA-X, not wanting to listen to her screaming and yelling in pain. Desperate to escape, SA-X reaches her arm toward Samus, only for it to freeze in place. Samus turns around, and stares at her tortured, motionless clone, mouth wide open and arm extended. Solemnly, Samus summons her ship to land.

FADE TO:

EXT/INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – NIGHT

Samus enters the cockpit.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – NIGHT

Samus returns to her Zero Suit, sits in the pilot seat, and takes a deep breath before lifting off. She sets her course for Galactic Federation Headquarters.

EXT. FS-176 – NIGHT

Samus leaves the space station.

EXT. FS-176: STAR PLATFORM – NIGHT

The Federation star gradually moves SA-X's skeletal body into a fetal position, her arm entering the star.

FADE OUT.


	3. Act II: Anxiety

ACT II: Anxiety

FADE IN.

INT. GF HEADQUARTERS: AURORA CHAMBER – NIGHT

Samus grips the monitors tight. She stares angrily into the stasis tank holding Unit 149.

AURORA UNIT 149

I am tasking my men with  
finishing your failed  
mission.

SAMUS

You can't do that! Tyson is my responsibility!

AURORA UNIT 149

You lost responsibility of  
him when you let a parasite have thoughts.

SAMUS

I can still get his brain  
back! You're just going to  
treat him like-

AURORA UNIT 149  
(over the intercoms)

Immediate escort required  
from Aurora Chamber to  
Landing Site A.

SAMUS

Fuck you.

Unit 149 enters sleep mode. Two GF Troopers ride the Aurora Lift up to Samus. They link arms with Samus from behind.

TROOPER 1

Come on, Samus. Let's get you to your ship-

Samus wrestles herself free of the GF Troopers' grasp.

SAMUS

I can show myself out,  
thank you very much!

INT/EXT. GF HEADQUARTERS: AURORA LIFT – NIGHT

Samus rides the lift back down alone. She activates her Magnet Suit.

All of the lights at Federation Headquarters turned a dark red. Even as I rode the main elevator to ground level, the windows that surrounded me marked the colour of death. A recording of AU 149 played throughout the facility on repeat, "Warning: Major threat in the facility. Suppress and apprehend the target. Use any means necessary."

"Is it really coming to this?" I wondered. "Me against the Federation?"

Several Troopers began firing at the glass that protected me, window shards leaving scratches on my armour. I responded whenever there was a clean opening, and took cover in Morph Ball mode to surprise them. Part of me felt awful, having to fight my former allies, but I saw no other option.

Once I reached the main floor, I ran as fast as my green, metallic boots could carry me. Shooting down every opposing soldier was the only means of reaching my robot friend safely. The difficulty spike astounded me, in my fight against so many trained professionals. This in turn put a lot of pressure on me, my hair to drip in sweat and my grip of my Arm Cannon to loosen. However, it would not be impossible for me to find a way over to the next corridor. Combining weapon fire with martial arts was useful, particularly with the added weight of my Magnet Suit. I bashed my foes against the walls, twisting and straining their bones and muscles. A circular pile of unconscious men and women soon surrounded me. Tyson was not in the Research and Development lab where we first met. This discovery made my heart beat faster and my breathing heavier. My robot friend was somewhere in this building, but where?

GF Troopers chased after me into the lab, while the weaponless scientists cowered in fear. I could not help but feel bad for the fragile workers that had to go through the mess I created. I wished the Federation could hear my explanation of why I even started this fight. After punching and kicking with my armour, even using my Arm Cannon and Morph Ball bombs at close range, I destroyed the window and headed for the fire escape. Looking along the exterior wall for a way forward, memories of my teenage years came flooding back to me, reminded of the times when I would hide from my superiors. Their authoritative demeanour always scared me as a kid.

The familiar rain dampened my more youthful body and made my clothes feel heavier than they really were. I grabbed a hold of the nearest window on the wall above me, and climbed up. Leaping from one window to the next, I used the strength I gained from training with the Chozo, and placed them toward my training with the Galactic Federation. My bird friend and surrogate parent, Old Bird, gave me gloves that extended my power with their technology. Once I was within reach, I tapped the pink Chozo symbol on the front of my left glove, causing a pink, prehensile Beam to emerge. After grappling onto the ladder, I could extend it and climb up to the roof. Three trainees awaited me, ready to begin the next stage of my training.

I quickly realized how integral strength was to battle. Grabbing wrists, kneeing stomachs, or punching faces: if the person-in-training had a knack for it, they would be more than capable of becoming a fierce warrior. However, unlike the Troopers of Federation HQ, I found joy in the pain of others. The sounds of bones cracking, people moaning and grunting, or even the sight of blood spurting from peoples' mouths was bliss to my eyes. I wondered if this was normal, or if I was normal. Between the three trainees and myself, my punches and kicks were the strongest, but my energy was not quick to drain. I was more than capable of bringing down my foes in a speedy, calculated manner. Once they were down and out for the count, I could proceed to target practice inside the laboratory, two floors beneath me.

The orange Chozo symbol on my right glove allowed me to fire spherical beams of the same colour from my palm. During target practice, a bullseye or headshot was by no means difficult for me. Although the targets constantly swayed back and forth, or appeared and disappeared, it was easy to identify and position my palm at the sweet spot that would net me a perfect score. However, once actual trainees came into play, the game suddenly shifted gears. Taking cover, I needed to combine stealth with weapon firing. With both technologies within my Power Gloves, I carefully plotted a scheme to complete my training mission for the day. Perfectly able to strangle them by surprise or knock them out with a shot to the head, it was immediately clear to me that I had the skills to accomplish whatever tasks the Chozo and Federation required of me.

INT. GF HEADQUARTERS: R&D – DAY

Teenage Samus checks one of the unconscious Troopers' pockets for money. A TRAINING OFFICER walks down the corridor, making Samus anxious.

WALLET DROID

Twenty dollars USD found. Total funds-

The training officer enters.

SAMUS

(interrupting)

Shh!

TRAINING OFFICER

My, my! Good work today, Samus! And you've hardly worked up a sweat! Why don't we head over to your cabin to discuss the results?

Samus looks away, creeped out by his smile and face.

SAMUS

I'll meet you there...

TRAINING OFFICER

Good! See you there!

Samus gets up, and runs out into the corridor.

FADE TO:

EXT/INT. GF HEADQUARTERS: RECOVERY ROOM CORRIDOR – DAY

Teenage Samus runs to the Quarantine Chamber, tucked away behind the _'Authorized Personnel only'_ sign in the Recovery Room. She blasts open the ventilation shaft above the door with her Power Beam glove, and then jumps up and crawls in.

INT. GF HEADQUARTERS: QUARANTINE CHAMBER – DAY

Teenage Samus jumps down from the ventilation shaft along the ceiling, and walks over to the stasis tanks holding eels, Metroids, and other toxic creatures. Adult Samus soon awakes from her daydream, discovering Tyson in one of the tanks as well.

The galactic warriors nearly caught up to me, making my stomach churn in worry. Tyson rested in the center-most tank against the far wall, surrounded by monsters covered in the familiar viscous substance. I tried a Super Missile on the glass, only to discover it impervious to my heaviest weapon fire.

"Damn! If only I had Power Bombs..."

Amidst hearing the GF Troopers just outside the room, I heard something make impact on the ground. Turning around, a familiar silhouette greeted me, dropping down from the coverless ventilation shaft. This bizarre entity walked straight for Tyson's stasis tank. As if a deity listened to my thoughts, this silhouetted person unleashed a Power Bomb. The spectacular explosion shattered every bit of glass in the room. Resurrected from their cryogenic state, serpents, Metroids, Geemers, and War Wasps filled the room. Carrying Tyson over my shoulder, I left the various creatures to the Federation, ultimately running straight for my Gunship. My heart raced even faster than before. The two of us could finally escape. I tried not to drop Tyson, my palms sweating beneath my metal gloves. Somehow, despite all of my maniacal manoeuvres, the two of us managed to reach the Landing Site.

EXT/INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP – NIGHT

Samus enters her Gunship with Tyson over her shoulder.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – NIGHT

Samus enters the cockpit with Tyson. She seats him in the co-pilot seat, and then gets into the pilot seat. Samus begins lifting off, before the military has a chance to get an aircraft chasing after her.

SAMUS

Let's go get your brain back.

EXT. GF HEADQUARTERS – NIGHT

Samus flies off into outer space.

FADE TO:

I had no idea how many days, weeks, or months went by; everything collapsed into one long day. I stood on an island surrounded by an unfathomable amount of ice. The unfamiliarity consumed me. The sheet of ice before me turned to water, and then to gas, my boot awakening the molecules from their slumber. A larger island stood across from me, in which compass direction I did not know. The bright Federation star tried its best to peek through the gloomy overcast sky. While running to the other island, I unintentionally began excavating a frozen-over monument. Letting myself fall onto the roof of the ancient, crumbling building, I gazed at the thickness of ice that glossed the cold cyan water. I used my Arm Cannon to blast my way through, digging the archaic fortress from its tomb. After shattering the windows and breaking open the doors, I drained the alien, unsanitary liquid that flooded the interior. Curious of what I might find within, the concept of this crypt once being home to an extinct race slowly gained merit. Ocean dwellers of glacial waters, both alive and archaic, filled this place with data of a long-forgotten tribe. Carnivorous creatures gormandized the former citizens of this fortress, as evidenced by the bones and skulls that looked all too similar to those of my own body. The cellar contained mason jars full of preserved nutrients, some expired, and some presumably still edible. The imperishable food on the shelves and floor did not resemble much of what humans ate; or, perhaps some of it never flourished through to our lifetime.

Beneath the staircase, tucked away by the rubble, was a chest. Remembering a key in one of the upper rooms, I fetched it, and brought it back with me to the cellar. My Scan Visor began deciphering the ancient tongue into something I could understand. With this technology, I witnessed the translation appear overtop the letter in my hand.

'As we approach the final decade of our lifespan, the Space Pirates grow as a threat. Though we risk our livelihood, our fate is clear. Our minds will be much too frail to stop them. Once you arrive on planet Bryyo, you cannot return here. The girl will fight for us and remove the inevitable disease that will plague our beloved planet. Depending on 13576 is a risk we are willing to take, even if it means staring into the sky for millennia. We predict an expansive evolution of the virus occurring during her time. Guide her to Mount Pluto. She will have much work to do.'

With the mysterious lore logged to my suit, I began my attempts to uncover a way forward.

Carving my way through the ice, I noticed a familiar tunnel connecting the ancient building with something more modern. I entered the round, metallic path, which felt somehow familiar. It was not clear to me at first, but when an energy-powered door led me into a facility filled with dead GF Troopers, I realized that I stood inside of a crashed Galactic Federation Ship. From the gathered log data from the computers and memory data from the corpses, one could piece together that the Space Pirates were on the verge of discovering the ancient building behind me. None of the soldiers appeared sickly; the virus mentioned in the letter did not touch these men and women. To my luck, the GF Troopers marked coordinates of various places they visited on their table map. With this information, I would be able to find Mount Pluto and see what the tribe wanted from the strangely specific 13576 identity.

Taking my first few steps beyond the spaceship, I followed the rocky hill downward, charting deeper beneath the ocean floor. The various peaks that stood erect from the lakebed made the trek much less smooth. Indeed, the magnificent Mount Pluto stood far beyond these miniscule specimens of rock. The mighty pyramid towered above the water, a mere pointy spectacle to any observers from above. From my position, there were no visible indications as to how one would climb the mountain, but I predicted the Ancient Ones had something prepared for the girl they mentioned.

I could not foresee how long this trek would take me. The distance between Mount Pluto and the Federation Ship was insurmountable. Wherever I was, it was definitely unlike Phendrana, which was full of life and structure, both organic and synthetic. This place was tremendously barren. On land, islands were few and far in-between, with most of the activity occurring beneath the surface. Submerged mountain life kept this planet going, surviving off the cyan waters formed of hydrogen, oxygen, ammonia, and methane. With landmasses spread so far apart, life could only exist for few. I wondered how the Ancient People survived such a harsh environment, where we would require constant use of a spacesuit. The history of the Ancient Ones certainly piqued my interest, curious of how their origins affected modern day.

Mount Pluto loomed closer, the amount of light before me diminishing. Blinded, I could not pass through the labyrinth of algae as well as I once could. Bloggs approached me from all directions, hindering my progress along the ocean floor. Due to the sonic blasts that forced static to fill my Visor, a getaway would be so simple. I frustratingly tried to fire missiles into the Bloggs' mouths, made vulnerable by their quintuple tentacle-like jaws, when I realized my Arm Cannon glowed like a flashlight. Curious, I paid attention to the text on my Visor when switching Beam weapons.

"Power Beam, Ice Beam, Purge Beam, and Light Beam," I thought to myself.

Distracted by the aggressive predators of the lakebed, seeing _'Light Beam'_ did not register in my head until moments later.

"Wait, Light Beam? When did I pick that up?"

I looked over at my left arm, noticing a white coating of paint, also glowing in the dark.

At a loss for words, I utilized the flashlight feature to escape the aquatic foliage, and arrived at the base of the magnificent mountain. It was there that I discovered a hole in the rocks, which would fit my Arm Cannon perfectly. Scan Data indicated a power source within Mount Pluto, which required particular Beam fire to energize. Analyzing it further, I learned that the Ancient Ones did indeed construct this technology for this purpose. Cautiously inserting my arm, gripping my weapon tight from within, I began utilization of my Light Beam. When energizing part of the mountain, tremors ensued along the ocean floor. A spiral emerged from the rocks, though only partway. A timer followed suit, to which I ran as fast a speed as my armour, and the tremors, could allow. Electric monsters greeted me along the way, which my Scan Visor labelled as Sparkbats, a variation of Shriekbats. Had I wielded the Dark Beam, I could extinguish them each with a single shot. However, due to this misfortune, Power Beam, missiles, and Morph Ball bombs were the only means of decimation at present.

Flying at rapid speeds to electrify me, these creatures reminded me of the terrifying finale on FS-176: the finale that separated myself from my twin. Thinking of her brought fear, a recurring emotion so strong that it dwelt within me since our parting ways. I wondered if she thought of me still, or if she worried about me.

"Would you look for me? Would you fight me? Or would you think of me as your equal?"

Loneliness was a common thread in my life, as I am sure it was in hers. Perhaps the two of us were more human than we realized. Perhaps 'explorer' or 'mercenary' was never our label after all.

The edge of the spiralling path was still far above me, the timer continuing to announce the seconds that passed. I did not have enough time to kill all of the Sparkbats while also climbing the mountain. Instead, I would only destroy the aggravating ones, or those that attacked me in colonies. The winged beasts were not so easy to take down; my Power Beam did next to nothing. Soon, I would hear the ticking alternate to double speed, indicating my time remaining neared its end. I tried to remain optimistic, hoping I would reach the next slot in time. Quadruple speed initiated, once the Arm Cannon slot was in sight. The Sparkbats continued to be a nuisance, flying toward me from all directions. My missile count steadily decreased, and I could only use three Morph Ball bombs at a time before they refilled. My only strategy was to press forward, and to shove my Arm Cannon into the proceeding slot.

Barely hearing octuple speed from further below, I was mere nanoseconds away from plummeting to my doom. The slot recognized my Arm Cannon, and paused the timer. Using my Light Beam, I allowed sections of the second spiral to emerge. War transformed this monument to ruin. When providing the core of the mountain with sufficient energy, the spiral on which I stood became a permanent structure. Spacious platforms emerged, allowing me to travel up the mass pyramid of rock, with beams of metal standing horizontally erect above the gaps that separated the once-whole spiral.

With a second timer commencing, I would have to swing across each gap to reach the third slot above me. Another series of Sparkbats flew toward me; where they nested, I did not know. Luckily, the Grapple Swing released an electrifying amount of energy, which made it impossible for the winged creatures to bite. Similarly, the speed of the timer alternated when swinging from platform to platform. The sounds that resonating doubled and quadrupled in tempo, increasing from sixty beats per minute to two-hundred-forty. Utilizing every fraction of time granted to me, I managed to reach the third Arm Cannon slot.

When supplying the dynamo with additional energy, a Morph Ball tunnel opened just above me. I wriggled my way inside, and witnessed the generator that powered Mount Pluto. Roaming the interior, scanning as much data as one could find, I concluded that the monument served a purpose on a much grander scale, possibly functioning as a satellite to transmit information to a particular location and back. The sound of a nearby timer slowly entered my ear.

Remembering that I still had a mountain to finish climbing, I scoured the area for an exit. The innards of Mount Pluto were dark; I frantically waggled my Arm Cannon flashlight around. Eventually, I came across a second tunnel, which doubled as a Spider Ball track. Platforms along the exterior were even more spacious than the last. In addition to the segmented magnetic track, particular green walls greeted me at each platform, adding more verticality to my trek up the mountain. Thankfully, the Light Suit featured the same properties as my former Magnet Suit, which allowed me to wall jump via the Screw Attack. As I reached the tallest point of one of the green walls, I somersaulted in mid-air, traversing across the chasm to the proceeding Spider Ball track. Each trial proved more arduous than the last, and made me question what awaited at the top. Curiosity guided me to the pinnacle of Mount Pluto, much thanks to the Ancient Ones and their letter. With the completion of the final trial, traversing across magnetic rails and walls, I energized the core of Mount Pluto one final time, allowing me to reach sea level to discover what secrets awaited.

Land was sparse atop the mountain: the ridges of the elevated landmass made it impossible to stand comfortably. Mount Pluto proved its age, crumbling with every step I took. The tremors of the sea fluctuated constantly; maintaining a single position was impossible. A halo of land reflected in the water where there otherwise was no land. Much as I discovered inside the mountain, I knew there was more than what met the eye. My mind raced, full of wonder as to what the aging rock would reveal to me. The peak of Mount Pluto would not live much longer: my armoured feet brought forth ruin and destruction.

For a moment, I thought I saw a spacecraft passing through the parting in the clouds. This glimpse brought forth hope to my eyes, signifying that my twin was indeed in search of me. Dwelling on a possible rendezvous, I tripped on the plateau, slipping and falling onto the flat surface that now fully appeared. A creature entirely of black, bearing wings, horns and a tail, stood dormant atop Pluto's peak. Balancing on the plateau, as if meditating, the demon was silent. Almost immediately, as if sensing my stare, his menacing face looked up at me, the whites of his eyes turning red. The demon electrified his entire body.

Bearing a smooth perimeter, the landmass on which I stood would provide sufficient mobility for the task demanded of my identification code. Ranging from bombs to missiles, I would use everything in my power to dethrone the demon. However, he anticipated every attack or dodge I had. Because of my constant reliance on tactics, no weapon would harm him. My armour, though strong, received far too much damage. I wondered if it were possible that he could truly listen to any thought or question I had, as long as he maintained that simple pose. I grew weaker, the longer I dwelled on tactics and thought, when acting impulsively would save me. The Spark Demon punished me for acting so foolishly, telekinetically electrocuting my veins and my skull until my pulse was close to null.

Witnessing such a calm but mighty demon meditate from Pluto's peak, I wondered if he relied on the electricity I let generate through the mountain. Bearing this in mind, I decided to usurp him as soon as possible. However, before I could even act, the Spark Demon already made his move toward me. After receiving my fee for using my brain in battle, I forcibly took action at the will of my body. No longer, would I let my head lead the battle; the only means of success was to fight as the body desired. This manner of combat proved much more useful than I imagined. My punches, kicks, and weapon blasts yielded a greater strength, weakening him much as he already weakened me.

I quickly learned the key of acting on impulse; it became clear how much power one could wield if they stopped thinking about what to do next. By not creating tactics for battle, I would be able to engage the Spark Demon as necessary. However, my adversary would summon Sparkbats as a means to shield himself. Luckily, with existing knowledge of how to destroy his minions, I would be able to create an opening and make my foe vulnerable. Once I successfully knocked the hellion off his pedestal, I took his place, and flooded my Light Suit with the electricity that flowed through the core of the mountain. My adversary no longer stood a chance.

Taking his place, I continually gathered energy from Mount Pluto. Our fight became a battle for power, one seeking to outlast the other. Additionally, in order to maintain our position of power, we had to battle one another using alternative methods, such as our own bodies, other weapons, or other creatures. The two of us wrestled across the entirety of Pluto's peak. We kicked, elbowed, and punched like mad. My armour could only take so much damage before the software would malfunction.

Flashes of darkness ensued, with each smash onto the ground. There were moments when parts of my suit would deactivate, revealing my more vulnerable interior. I refused to let the Spark Demon penetrate my spandex suit and electrify my skeleton. My under armour would not be able to withstand such power; my bones would break, if the hellion were to continue treating me in such monstrous ways. Deciding it best to avoid relying on the malfunctioning Light Suit, I used my more nimble Zero Suit as an approach to weaken my foe. Strangling him with the laser beam attachment of my Paralyzer, I tried to show him a more realistic form of malfunctioning: the loss of consciousness. My Hover Boots possessed great strength as well, kicking the Spark Demon hard onto the ground and holding him in place, while I provided him with an Electromagnetic Blast.

Our wrestle match became more of a martial arts match, particularly thanks to the manoeuvrability of my Zero Suit. I tried to perform at my utmost strength, maximizing what was capable with my backup armour. We both knew what would happen next: once our enemy was his or her weakest point, we would overwhelm their body with the blood of the mountain. Neither of us thought about how we would attack or block; we simply fought with our hearts, assuming we had one. From what I read in the ancient letter, I understood the Spark Demon to be my entrance into the hell they left behind. Whatever awaited in this vast oceanic world was up to the person with my identification code to stop it: such was the vision of the Ancient Ones. Once I crippled my foe atop Mount Pluto, I reactivated my Light Suit and let him suffer.

EXT. MOUNT PLUTO – NIGHT 

Rain falls over the mountain. Amidst the chaos within the Spark Demon's body, Mount Pluto begins splitting apart into thirds. A kinetic orb cannon rises, completing the satellite formation. SA-X falls inside of the orb cannon as a Morph Ball, when she uncovers her newfound item, the Boost Ball. Using her new ability to power the cannon, she flies skyward along a particular radius.

EXT. TWIN TABULA: SKY – NIGHT 

Samus flies around in her Gunship, curious of the activity based on one of the mountain peaks. Unbeknownst to her, SA-X flies toward the base of her ship like a cannonball. The clone inevitably makes impact, causing cataclysmic damage both to the Gunship and to herself.

INT. SA-X'S COMBAT VISOR – NIGHT 

SA-X makes impact with the Gunship, disabling her Light Suit and Zero Suit completely.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – NIGHT 

Samus tries to land her crashing ship on the nearest landmass. She uses the various object-detection systems on her Ship Visor to see if she can identify the cause of the collateral damage.

EXT. TWIN TABULA: SKY – NIGHT 

SA-X somersaults downward into the ocean, solely in her skeleton.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – NIGHT 

Shocked, Samus realizes SA-X to be the culprit.

EXT. TWIN TABULA: SKY – NIGHT 

The Ship Grapple emerges from the base of Samus' ship. As if using a claw machine to grab a prize, Samus tries to fetch SA-X before it is too late. SA-X extends her arm toward the Ship Grapple, only to pass out and miss. Samus still tries her best to retrieve her clone, and eventually manages to grab her. Samus allows SA-X to enter the Gunship. They crash land together on the nearby island.

FADE TO:

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: BEDROOM – DAY

SA-X, in her blue-glowing, skeletal form, awakes in Samus' bed. Gazing out the open window, unsure how long she slept, she notices the rain continuing to fall and the cyan ocean causing the dark clouds to glow. SA-X lifts the blanket, and limps over to the door. She exits.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP – DAY

SA-X, leaving the bedroom, walks over to the open kitchen.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: KITCHEN – DAY

SA-X tries to make herself comfortable on a stool. Samus, on the other side of the kitchen island, makes French toast. The look on her face does not appease SA-X.

SA-X

What?

Samus ignores her.

SA-X

Did you... Did you sleep well?

SAMUS

(sarcastic)

Me? Oh, great. Just great.

SA-X

You could've slept in your own bed, you know. I would've been fine, sleeping on the couch.

Samus scoops up the first four slices of French toast from the pan one-by-one, and places them on a plate. She gets a fork and knife. SA-X watches in silence.

SAMUS

Cinnamon? Maple syrup?

SA-X

What? Oh. Uh... sure...

Samus gets the cinnamon and maple syrup, and dresses her clone's breakfast. After giving SA-X her four slices, she begins making four slices for herself.

SA-X

(staring at her plate)

Is it okay for me to, you know, eat this, me being skeletal and all?

SAMUS

It's fine.

SA-X

You're sure...?

SAMUS

Yes! Eat! The food will help you get better.

SA-X looks down at Samus' holo-phone. She reads an upside-down _06:17_.

SA-X

Why are we up this early?

SAMUS

(sighs)

Just eat your food...

SA-X

I was just unconscious! What the fuck do you expect me to know?

Samus rolls her eyes, putting her slices of French toast on a plate. She dresses them with maple syrup and cinnamon, and gets a fork and knife.

SAMUS

You want coffee? Or maybe you want milk? It's good for your bones!

SA-X

Oh, to hell with you!

SA-X takes her breakfast, and leaves.

I could not comprehend why my twin would treat me as such. Whether it was sisterly teasing, morning grogginess, or genuine anger, one could not say. Trying not to linger on her words for long, I turned my focus to the outside world. The rain would satisfy my bones. The aftermath of my battle against the Spark Demon made walking no easy feat for a while. My joints ached relentlessly; perhaps I overdid it, what, with all that energy concentrating into my body. Still, I preferred to be mobile than lie in bed for hours.

The gloominess was appealing to me. I could roam freely without the vibrant star ruining my retina. My twin, in fact, was unware that I disembarked the ship. I snuck out, hoping to find solace in the rain. The ecstasy of precipitation touching my bones changed my mood in seconds. The rainfall was intense, although there were no signs of a thunderstorm. The water level rose significantly overnight, the wet clay earth squishing between my slender toes. Beyond the palm trees, just before the tall cliffs, I noticed yet another Galactic Federation Ship docked on this planet. I went ahead with an investigation of my own.

Terror filled my head, as I neared the spaceship. Memories from my metallic brain suddenly overpowered my parasitic one. A thrust of data into my primary prefrontal cortex made it difficult to walk. The world moved with me, swaying back and forth. A multitude of colours filled the darkness: the palm leaves, the clay earth, the cliffs, and the spaceship. Familiar voices penetrated my skull, haunting me while I stumbled through the beach and the forest.

"Welcome back, ma'am."

"Where's my Varia Suit?"

"It is offline—"

"Well, put it online! I have work to do!"

"Ma'am, I cannot exactly—"

Like a ghostly hummingbird, this second entity living inside my head tried to drill his way out. He could sense that I was weak. He knew this was his chance to awaken. However, this was my body, and no matter how ominous a memory he would feed me, I would not allow him to take over and resume his former life within me.

"Welcome back, ma'am."

"Where's my Varia Suit?"

"It is offline—"

"Well, put it online! I have work to do!"

"Ma'am, I cannot exactly—"

It sounded as if those people were in a particular room, rather than in my head. A door opened. Footsteps confirmed my suspicions, although it frightened me. I cautiously approached the recovery chamber, when Tyson thrust my blue-glowing, skeletal body onto an examination bed. I knew things would only get worse from here.

Unsure if my eyes deceived me, I could not comprehend how or why my twin's companion could assault me. Powerless, dodging his attacks was my only option. My body still needed to recover, and my head remained in disarray. Disarray transformed into madness, where the chaos of my internal parasite finally came to life as a brute. Throwing pillows, turning the entire bed onto its side, and causing various medical instruments to fall, I maniacally attempted to separate myself from Tyson.

"Welcome back, ma'am."

"Where's my Varia Suit?"

"It is offline—"

"Well, put it online! I have work to do!"

"Ma'am, I cannot exactly—"

The hysteria seeped deeper into my cerebellum, the screams of the Parasite King now evoking through my lungs. Multiple Tysons greeted me throughout the flagship. Tremendously frightened, I raced for the entrance, hoping my twin would be within reach. I was desperate for her help.

INT. GFS WILSHIRE – DAY

SA-X runs to the entrance.

SAMUS

(V.O.)

Where's my Varia Suit?

TYSON

(V.O.)

It is offline-

SAMUS

(V.O.)

Well, put it online! I have work to do!

TYSON

(V.O.)

Ma'am, I cannot exactly-

SA-X bumps into Samus at the door, now fully armoured by her Magnet Suit. She brings SA-X behind her, and initiates a full-on assault against the gang of Pirate Commandos.

Taken aback by the tenacity of these Pirates, I soon realized this was no ordinary scum. Standard Beam or missile fire would not satisfy my bloodlust for their extinction. Super Missiles performed exceptionally well, revoking them of life with a single shot. However, these beasts were much more agile than the peons I faced normally. I needed to guard my clone at the entrance, not wanting to step too deep into the flagship and let them have her. Whatever madness she faced, I needed to tend to it after. I could not allow those fiends to abuse her, whatever ambitions they had. Because of this, it was imperative to eradicate the Federation ship of their kind. Despite hardships with my former employer, we agreed that the extermination of Space Pirates was a necessary task to keep the galaxy at peace.

INT. GFS WILSHIRE – DAY

Samus kills the last Pirate Commando, and then returns to SA-X, unconscious on the ground. She notices the familiar black substance solidified to parts of her skeleton.

SAMUS

Maybe too much exposure...

Samus notices SA-X is not breathing. She checks for a pulse.

SAMUS

Oh, no... Please, don't tell me...

She hears more screaming coming from further down the hall.

Another set of Space Pirates were on their way to the entrance of GFS Wilshire. I did my best to ensure SA-X a secure getaway by exterminating the foul beasts chasing after us. They had a base somewhere nearby. Perhaps an injured Pirate fell back to inform the others of my arrival. Taking cover whenever necessary, I used stealth to take out any fiend that tried to approach SA-X or myself. My clone needed immediate medical attention; this environment was of no help to her status. Her safety was a major concern for me, and as such, I needed to kill the Pirates that stood in our way. After twisting several necks and blasting off a few heads with weapon fire, I escaped with my clone.

INT/EXT. GFS WILSHIRE – DAY

Samus immediately picks up SA-X off the ground, and carries her back to the Gunship.

FADE TO:

EXT. GF HEADQUARTERS – DAY

Samus carries SA-X to the main entrance.

SECURITY GUARD 1

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Where do you think you're going?

SAMUS

I don't care if you want to arrest me! This is an emergency!

SECURITY GUARD 2

(laughs)

You don't care? Then, drop the body!

Samus tries to get inside, but the guards prevent her.

SECURITY GUARD 1

What makes you so sure we're gonna let you in?

SAMUS

How about you shut the fuck up, and get out of my way?

Silence.

SECURITY GUARD 2

(holding earpiece)

You catch all that?

Pause.

The security guards step aside.

SECURITY GUARD 2

You're clear, Miss Aran.

Samus enters.

FADE TO:

INT. GF HEADQUARTERS: ICU – DAY

SA-X lies in bed, still unconscious. Samus sits next to her, now in her Zero Suit. Drinking coffee out of her vacuum flask, Samus awaits news from a doctor. The pulse monitor beeps every six seconds. Samus rubs SA-X's hand. Anxious, the bounty hunter gets up from her seat, and walks around slowly. Moments later, a nurse enters from the corridor.

NURSE 1

Samus, I'm just going to do a brief checkup before the doctor gets here.

SAMUS

Sure.

Samus steps aside to let the nurse work.

SAMUS

So, what do we know so far?

NURSE 1

Nothing concrete yet, but it's definitely not Phazon.

SAMUS

That's a relief...

NURSE 1

So, are you two close?

Awkward silence.

NURSE 1

You never would've done this for Dark Samus.

SAMUS

It's different.

NURSE 1

Different?

Silence.

NURSE 1

Tyson.

Silence.

The nurse finishes up with SA-X.

NURSE 1

All right, all done here.

SAMUS

Thanks.

NURSE 1

Not a problem!

The nurse exits.

Samus turns around to face SA-X, still asleep. She comforts her by caressing her leg. There is a brief silence, before Samus' holographic holo-phone vibrates inside her boot. She activates the notification. _"Warning: Hull armour taking damage"_ appears on-screen. Samus puts her phone away, and then exits. SA-X slowly wakes up, catching the last possible glimpse of Samus exiting.

SA-X

(grumbling)

Samus?

SA-X tries her best to lift the blanket and slide off the bed. Hardly able to walk, SA-X tries to catch up.

INT. GF HEADQUARTERS: HOSPITAL CORRIDOR – DAY

Samus makes her way to the exit. SA-X limps, several metres behind. A trio of nurses try to stop her.

NURSE 1

Hey, hey! What are you doing?

SA-X

Samus!

Samus keeps walking.

SA-X

You just gonna leave me here and throw me away like I'm meaningless to you?

Samus ignores her. One of the nurses gets out an injector.

SA-X

Hey, I'm talking to you!

Samus stops. She turns around.

SAMUS

I have work to do.

SA-X

It's always work with you! All you fucking do is work! Is the money really that important to you?

SAMUS

I'm not leaving because of money!

SA-X

Then, what?

Pause.

SAMUS

I have to go... I'll see you in a bit.

Samus turns back around, leaving for her ship.

SA-X

(mid-injection)

Fuck you!

Taken aback, Samus pauses a brief moment. She takes a deep breath to collect herself, and then exits the hospital corridor.

The nurses, meanwhile, bring a drowsy SA-X back to her room.

FADE TO:

EXT. GF HEADQUARTERS: LANDING SITE – DAY

Samus, returning to her Magnet Suit, exits the main building. A monstrous, bipedal reptile, dripping profusely in black ooze, puts Samus' Gunship out of commission. The bounty hunter wirelessly flies her ship away, via the touchpad on her Arm Cannon. The Dark Cronalian unleashes a mighty growl, stomping toward Samus.

Reminded of Kraid, I wondered if the corruption developed deeper within this beast than the reptilian monster from before. I kept my distance, wanting to avoid contracting the virus dripping from his body. The significant difference in height made dodging the viscous perspiration rather difficult. Scan Data indicated the Dark Cronalian had a weakness to Light energy, which would be useful information if I had something of the sort. The Purge Beam and Radiation Shield were evidently the second option, but no matter how much toxicity I extracted, the ooze always reformed. No weapon in my possession did damage to this beast.

Scratching my brain, I tried to conjure up an attack that would put the Dark Cronalian to sleep a while. The beast was keen to knock me over the edge of the Landing Site, constantly swiping his megaton claws and tail at me. When in Morph Ball mode, he would even chase after me. The earth trembled with every step, causing me to bounce off the ground. Attracted to my alternate form, the beast wanted to play with me, like a kitten with a ball of yarn. However, I could not permit such a gesture. The toxicity would seep through my suit would cause the skin on my arms to peel like the husks of corn, my sclera to bloodshot, my cardiovascular system to slow, and my blood cell count to reach extreme levels. The behemoth demonstrated a clear preference to the Morph Ball, unleashing monstrous roars and attacks when standing normally.

Given a lack of Power Bombs, I needed to find some way of getting behind the Dark Cronalian. There had to be enough leeway to get the beast to collapse. However, this was not a simple task. I needed to wait for the perfect opportunity to send a pair of Super Missiles down his giant throat. Pleading for success, I fed the behemoth as much weapon fire as I could unleash. Failed attempt after failed attempt, it was only at my weakest state that I could finally run over to the other side and wrench his tail.

Placing every ounce of energy and strength into a single objective, wrestling with the Dark Cronalian's giant posterior was a grueling task, him being so heavy and so glued to the ground. It would take a while before he would begin to tremble and slide. All of my stamina went into this single undertaking of getting the reptilian monster to fall over. Eventually, when the first knee crashed onto the Landing Site, a pool of molasses splashed off the beast's leg and onto the ground. When he was on both knees, another major splash occurred, and the two pools of the sticky, viscous poison merged into one. I grew frightened, beginning to think of the magnificent splash the beast would cause, when his entire belly would crash on the Landing Site. My heartbeat racing, I panted, desperate to stop this beast from wreaking further damage to the people at Federation HQ.

EXT. GF HEADQUARTERS: LANDING SITE – DAY

Samus gives one final heave, finally causing the mighty beast to fall onto his stomach. The liquid baking chocolate spreads across the entire span of the Landing Site, even creeping toward the entrance of HQ.

INT. GF HEADQUARTERS: LOBBY – DAY

The two security guards watch in horror from the inside, immediately sealing the doors.

EXT. GF HEADQUARTERS: LANDING SITE – DAY

Samus looks down at her feet, the baking chocolate-like substance painting her hunter green boots black. Instinctively, she runs to the entrance of HQ before it spreads. Unbeknownst to her, the sludge is already capable of crawling its way up her armoured legs on its own.

INT. GF HEADQUARTERS: LOBBY – DAY

Samus motions to the guards through the window to open the door. However, the approaching Dark Cronalian claw, and the symbiotic lifeform manifesting Samus' suit, make them less inclined to follow her instructions.

EXT. GF HEADQUARTERS: LANDING SITE – DAY

Samus takes a few steps back, about to kick the door open, when the Dark Cronalian grabs her. Squeezing her armour, the reptilian beast brings Samus to his mouth, ready to feast. Samus frantically tries to free herself. Samus, despite the pain, manages to launch yet another Super Missile down the behemoth's throat. The bounty hunter falls into the large puddle of molasses, the viscous substance splashing all over her armour.

INT. GF MILITARY AIRCRAFT 1 SHIP VISOR – DAY

Samus attempts to unglue herself from the Landing Site, while the Dark Cronalian recovers from the Super Missile blast.

INT. GF MILITARY AIRCRAFT 2 SHIP VISOR – DAY

Samus attempts to unglue herself from the Landing Site, while the Dark Cronalian recovers from the Super Missile blast.

EXT. GF HEADQUARTERS: LANDING SITE – DAY

The Dark Cronalian growls at Samus. The molasses envelops her Magnet Suit more and more. She tries with all her might to loosen her Arm Cannon. The reptilian beast takes the opportunity to bite into her helmet. However, right as he opens his giant mouth, a pair of Ship Missiles, followed by machine gun fire, prevents the Dark Cronalian from feasting on Samus. He steps back, unknowingly toward the edge of the Landing Site. The bounty hunter tries and tries to free her Arm Cannon. She is eventually able to fire one last Super Missile at the Dark Cronalian, sending him to his doom. She then looks up at the pilots, and gives them both a thumbs up.

INT. SAMUS' COMBAT VISOR – DAY

' _Dark Suit and Dark Beam online'_ appears on-screen.

SAMUS

All right...

Shortly thereafter, Samus notices her Gunship approaching, her ship fully repaired. The Ship Grapple activates on its own, and attaches itself to Samus, bringing her up to the exit hatch. The bounty hunter witnesses a familiar silhouetted figure standing on the exit hatch, who disappears when Samus climbs aboard.

INT. GF MILITARY AIRCRAFT 1: COCKPIT – DAY

PILOT 1

What the hell...?

PILOT 2

Who's piloting that ship?

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP - DAY

Samus disables her Dark Suit, and walks to the cockpit.

PILOT 1

(O.S.)

That's what I wanna know...

SAMUS

Sam...? Are you in here...?

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – DAY

Samus enters the cockpit, only to find a deactivated Tyson.

SAMUS

Weird...

She suddenly get the urge to vomit.

SAMUS

Oh, god...!

She runs for the bathroom, and closes the door behind her.

EXT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: BATHROOM – DAY

Samus vomits into the toilet.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: BATHROOM – DAY

As the toilet flushes, and she washes her hands, Samus notices her veins are more visible than usual. She experiences whooping cough, and then spits orange mucus into the sink. She groans in disgust.

I made it to the cockpit just in time to see the pair of military aircraft still on my tail. The Federation resumed their feud against me, likely wanting to reclaim Tyson from me. They had possession of his brain in the Intensive Care Unit through SA-X, but they would not dare seek information through a perceptive parasite. My heart raced, furious at the thought of the Federation ordering termination of SA-X, rather than giving her the necessary treatment. In response, I unleashed heavy weapon fire of my own. Thoughts fueled my mind throughout this dogfight. If I were to save SA-X now, much as I did with Tyson, it would be catastrophic. In addition, my Gunship recently recovered from two consecutive mishaps; any more damage and I would need to build a new one. Wanting to protect myself, I set my destination for Twin Tabula, and shot down the Federation military ships before they could even think to chase after me.

Once I could confirm secure travel into outer space, I left the cockpit to take a shower. From all the stress these past few days, a relaxing few minutes under the hot water would be nice. Before slipping out of my Zero Suit, I took my holo-phone out of my boot, and set it on the bathroom counter. The veins all over my body were abnormally visible, the blue beginning to turn gray. My skin was paler than usual. I worried for my health more than ever before. The thought of being in SA-X's position frightened me; hospital life was not for me. I hoped some music would distract me. When the water reached the perfect temperature and the humidity filled my bathroom, I interacted with the Hand Scanner, and ventured inside the shower to relax and unwind.

My showers tended to be long: three songs played before I even started washing myself. My mind raced ceaselessly, making it difficult to focus on the simple task of lathering soap all over my body. I never wished to invoke harm onto the Federation nor onto the people of Earth. I only did it because I was mad about what they would do to SA-X, now that they had Tyson's brain. My allies were no longer allies because of me. Soon, they would come after me and have me suffer the consequences. The music did not help, either; despite my nearly thirteen-gigabyte library, not a single song that played thus far was upbeat. I barely moved for a while, only having the energy to extend my arm toward the showerhead and press the 'Shower Gel' option to wash myself. Once covered in soapy bubbles, I decided I would wash my hair, too. The loud rock song continuing, I could not help but release a smile partway through the drum and electric guitar duet. Rubbing my hands along my body, I cleaned my soapy canvas, slowly circling to let the water pour all over me.

The wall-to-wall electric body and hair dryer evaporated the water off my body in seconds. I grabbed my holo-phone, and brought it with me into the kitchen. Travelling from the Solar system to the FS-176 star system would take quite a while, and judging by the view from the kitchen window, we had only just passed Neptune. With so much downtime, I could make myself dinner. Just thinking about food made me hungry. Grabbing a variety of ingredients, I decided to put together two hamburgers and plenty of thick-cut fries: sufficient just for me, but also for two, should SA-X build an appetite once we reunite.

Having vomited not too long ago, I was amazed that I still had an appetite for burgers and fries. I used the window behind me as a mirror, curious if I looked noticeably ill, but found it too difficult to see anything. In any case, my stomach grumbled and ached for nourishment. After basting both sides of a toasted bun in ketchup, I set a patty with melted cheese on the bottom half, and stacked lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles on top of it. Consuming this hamburger and plateful of ketchup-dressed fries would ease my troubled stomach.

Unsurprisingly, the news had their opinionated panel ready to discuss my recent activity at Federation Headquarters.

"Good evening. Our top story tonight: 'How well does the Galactic Federation protect us?' Following a break-and-enter into Federation Island, yet another setback occurred just earlier today."

"I was on the bus heading to university and I saw this big orange spaceship shoot down two military aircraft, and I was just like, 'Why is this happening?' And the ship just took off!"

"It worries me, y'know? Like, they say that they'll protect us from whatever extraterrestrial danger we might get, but what if five or six of those spaceships were to come here? Then what?"

"Incredible. My panel joins me here today: Sylvia, Rich, Janice, and Oliver, our special guest from the Galactic Federation. Oliver, tell me, how safe are we really?"

"Darby, as you know, we have this discussion all the time, even with just the ordinary police. This was not some... terrorist attack. There were no casualties. Everyone is safe. This was likely just blackmail meant for our corporation."

"Do you know who or what caused this?" Darby asked.

"Oh, fuck... Here we go..." I barely spoke, my mouth full of fries.

"Unfortunately, I am unable to disclose that information at this time."

"Wait, what?" Some of them spilled from my mouth, drool and ketchup smearing on my lips a bright red.

"Oh, great. Maybe we should change the topic to privacy," Rich interrupted.

"We don't feel there is any need for the public to know about specifics at this time."

"You talk like a robot!"

"Gentlemen, please. Let's stay polite. Sylvia, what's your take?"

"My take is this: look, my family and friends are not in danger. As Oliver said, whoever or whatever did this specifically targeted the Federation. I am fortunate enough not to have any relationships with anyone that works there. Thus, from my point of view, we are safe."

"If I may butt in," Janice chimed in, "no matter what happens to the Federation, no matter how small, it affects all of us."

"Thank you!"

"Two massive military aircraft exploding in midair does not bode well for people," she continued. "Nobody wants to go to work, and all of a sudden see smoke and flames in the sky. It scares people!"

"Yes!"

"I'm gonna get the dishwasher ready..."

With enough holo-vision for one day, I finally got up from the couch with my empty plate, and returned to the kitchen. Before getting my hands all dirty and wet, I thought it might be worth a try to call the Intensive Care Unit at HQ.

"ICU at Federation Headquarters. How may I help?"

"Hi, I'd like to speak with Sam, a recent patient. You might have her listed as "SA-X". She's the, uh... The skeleton girl."

The sound of typing filled my kitchen.

"I'm sorry. I'm not seeing an SA-X in our database."

"Uh, try 13576, her identification code."

More typing.

"Transferring you now."

"Thank you."

I loaded up the dishwasher, while waiting for SA-X to pick up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Sam, it's me."

Her deep sigh made the hair on my arms stand on edge.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"How are you? What did the doctor say?"

"No one came. They just gave me some pills to keep me, you know, alive."

"My god... So what are you gonna do?"

"Crash at your place. What else?"

"You're gonna live in my Gunship?"

"Yeah, is that a problem?"

"Not really, but I like my privacy. I like to be alone and—"

"Naked around the ship? Yeah, I know, but what the fuck else am I gonna do?"

"I don't know... Just... Get to Twin Tabula as soon as you can."

"Race ya there."

"How...?"

Before I could even think of a follow-up response, she already hung up.

"All right..."

Still a ways to go, the next step on my agenda was to weight and strength train. The bathroom mirror now clear, I could examine my naked body one final time before my workout. Strangely, despite feeling better, the symptoms from the mucus-inducing illness were still apparent. I wondered if working out was a good idea, even though I felt just fine. My Zero Suit was still in the bathroom, so I brought it with me to the bedroom, and laid it on my bed until later. The jitteriness of space travel caused some of my clothes to fall off the hangers. After cleaning up most of it, I grabbed my sports bra and gym shorts, dressed myself, and put my hair up in a ponytail.

The sublime view of space greeted me, as I entered the gym. The windows revealed my travel along the trans-galactic highway was nearly at an end, The Sun now a mere speck of dust. Before exercising, I wirelessly connected my holo-phone in the kitchen to the speakers in the gym, wanting to maintain positive thoughts and not drift away into madness. The lat pulldown, cable press, chin-up bar, and bench-press enticed me. Anticipating Tallon IV to pass by in a few minutes, it was integral that I planned my weight and strength training carefully. Calculating time until landing in my head, I concluded that there would be just enough time to complete each of my exercise routines.

Autopilot while landing was no preference of mine; anything could happen during the procedure. Taking the helm, my descent on the island near GFS Wilshire began. Before disembarking, I knew a trip to my bedroom was in order; my sports bra and gym shorts would certainly not suffice in such a climate.

"Why did you shower and then work out?" I thought to myself, shaking my head.

After undressing and applying deodorant, I switched to my Zero Suit, and then activated my Dark Suit.

Scanning the bodies aboard GFS Wilshire and the data left behind, the information I gathered was beneficial in understanding the breadth of the parasite across Twin Tabula. A tall pair of tea rose cliffs greeted me at the exit opposite from where I entered. Barely through the crevasse of the cliffs could I see the Space Pirate facility further ahead. Too slim a gap for me to sidle or roll through, my adventuring forced me to climb up and across the rocky barrier. Luckily, there were Spider Ball track indications along the rocky walls. Laid out carefully, I needed to be wary of where to bomb jump or demagnetize myself in order to reach the next track. In addition to a complicated trek up the cliffs, Pillbugs stood in my way, crawling along the Spider Ball tracks for the sole purpose of annoying me. Eventually, though, I reached the top, now with a better view of the facility.

Immediately as I stood atop the cliffs, Shadow Pirates, Light Troopers, and Aerotroopers noticed me, sending a pair of ATCs my way. I tried to shoot them down as fast as possible, charging my Dark Beam and aiming for the ventilation systems. Some of the Pirate ships even managed to land on the snowy plateaus, six Space Pirates emerging from each ATC. Of all three types, the Shadow Pirates were the most difficult, as they were capable of making themselves invisible to the human eye. I tried to remain calm and focus on hints that might indicate their location.

Once the Pirates on the cliffs were dead, I summoned my Gunship to target Ship Missiles at my foes on ground level. The Space Pirates were protective of their facility, wanting a role in the chaos brought forth by the virus. I could not let them intervene and allow the parasite to ruin another planet, like what Phazon did to Tallon IV, Aether, and Phaaze. Combining my Grapple Swing with my Ship Grapple, I could have a much smoother descent from the plateaus. My preference in fighting the Space Pirates was a combination of weapon fire and martial arts, as evidenced by how aggressively I took down so many members of the Galactic Federation not too long ago. Combining these techniques allowed me to kill the Space Pirates much more smoothly, and quicker. I could not risk giving them the chance to accomplish whatever goals they had.

Only when the dozens of Space Pirates were dead could I breathe and explore further. As a token for killing so many of the savage beasts, a massive drill pointed at the frozen ocean went online. Energizing it with my Boost Ball allowed me to penetrate a cylinder of glass carrying the Thermal Visor. In addition to the drill and Thermal Visor, Space Pirate Data indicated plans to venture into the mantle of Twin Tabula, in search of the parasite core. The information I read did not identify a purpose for reaching such extreme levels of toxicity, but it certainly allowed me to conjure up dozens of ideas in my head.

With sufficient information, and a Visor that would allow me to see infrared thermography, I resumed my drilling of the ice. However, when returning to the drill, I realized it was once again offline. Switching to my newfound Thermal Visor, I noticed that the Power Conduit in the Pirate facility somehow malfunctioned. Soon, I discovered this malfunction was not the cause of my Boost Ball or the accidental press of a button: an invisible Sand Demon toyed with me, forcing me to deal with him.

While trying out the Dark Beam on my latest foe, the thought occurred to me as to whether the Spark and Sand Demons were a parasite species. Neither Scan Data nor Space Pirate Data made comment on such a thought, leaving the answer up to me to discover. With a whirlwind of sand, the hellion used the wintery beach to his advantage. Keeping my distance from the dust devil, I fired a variety of Beam weapons at my foe in an attempt to see which one worked. I quickly learned that my Power, Ice, and Dark Beams were all useless against the hellion, even when he stopped spinning around in his cylindrical barrier. This left only the Purge Beam to do the trick.

Coated in a shell of sand, this demon bore protection that made it so not even missiles could penetrate his armour. As a result, whenever the winged beast would attack me, I could collect some of the sand with my Purge Beam and Radiation Shield, revealing his red interior. With a switch to the Ice Beam, the cold would be no match for his true magma body. I could not attack him for long, however, as the hellion would return to his defensive whirlwind of sand. The Purge Beam also worked in this form, albeit the process was much longer, due to the constant movement and various attacks toward me. I was cautious during this fight, strafing whenever the Sand Demon might charge toward me from within the dust devil. It was integral that I keep my eyes on my foe and not let my guard down.

Eventually, I managed to lure the spinning Sand Demon toward one of the cliffs, dodging just in time for the beast to collide with the rock. In addition, the tremor from the impact caused my Thermal Visor to glitch, forcing me to use my standard Visor. Luckily, however, the hellion was now visible to the naked eye; the hues of infrared thermography no longer making my foe and the environment look preposterous. With the demon bashing his body against the cliff, I could use my Grapple Swing to bring him toward me and deprive him of his granular shield. The winged hellion did not need long to recover, which, unfortunately, meant most of the sand on his body would remain. Currently totalling one third of his complete shell, there was still a ways to go.

Shortly after firing Ice onto his dark red flesh, the Sand Demon shielded himself once more inside of a dust devil. Moreover, he camouflaged himself within the environment, requiring me to switch back and forth between Visors. Again, I collected the sand he whirled throughout the Space Pirate facility, and again, I let him collide with the cliffs separating the abandoned flagship from the laboratory. The combination of the Grapple Swing, Purge Beam, and Ice Beam proved yet again to be a successful tactic, another third of the sand plating lost, and the body weakened. However, initiating a new phase far exceeded my expectations: the demon now wished to fight me head-on.

Surprisingly strong in direct combat, my foe was not so easy to defeat. For once, it was I who struggled, receiving hit after hit. His mighty kicks to my respiratory and cardiovascular systems caused me to cough up blood. This was also in effect to my condition, resulting from the previous fight against the Dark Cronalian. I needed to be quick and defeat the Sand Demon efficiently, before I would get sicker. I tried coming up with solution after solution. However, thinking made me weaker: it allowed the hellion to create additional ruptures within my internal organs by punching, kicking, and head butting me.

Impulsively, I lured the Sand Demon onto the icy ocean, where I began aiming leftover sand at him, still stored in my Radiation Shield. With the hellion's body being so hot, my foe eventually became a Glass Demon. His body was almost entirely transparent. The skeletal structure of my foe reminded me of SA-X. I tried to hold off thinking about my clone until after, as it was more important that I kill the dying demon first. A Super Missile did the trick.

EXT. REVERA: SPACE PIRATE FACILITY – DAY

The Federation star sets beyond the tea rose cliffs, as Samus destroys her foe's crystalline body to a pile of bloody bones and organs. After staring at the red-painted ice a while, she senses a presence atop the cliffs. Looking over, the setting star casts a silhouette of what appears to be SA-X in the Light Suit.

FADE OUT.


	4. Act III: Carnage

ACT III: Carnage

I rode the lift into the depths of the ocean, the light diminishing. My Dark Suit did nothing to alleviate the situation, fully embracing the absence of phosphorescence. The Thermal Visor highlighted a power disruption somehow caused by GFS Wilshire, up on the surface. Taking into account the nearby Space Pirate facility just above, it would not surprise me if my battle against the Sand Demon played a part in this disruption. The flora in the ocean relied on artificial light to survive; their faded light was barely enough to show me the path ahead. Given the lack of research of what lived deep beneath the surface, it was reasonable to assume that the Federation Troopers crashed mere days before my arrival. Had they visited Twin Tabula for longer, before their demise, the intelligence they left behind would have been far more valuable.

As I stepped off the elevator platform, the thought occurred to me as to whether I should have stolen the Light Suit and Light Beam from SA-X back in the emergency ward. Perhaps the glow of her white armour and Arm Cannon would aid the flora within range to shine as luminous as they once did. Requiring use of the infrared spectrum, visible through the Thermal Visor, I was cautious not to make a wrong turn. Though the Federation Troopers did not fully explore this region of Twin Tabula, it was clear from the Scan Data I read that they had interest in a satellite off in the distance.

Before I knew it, I entered a labyrinth of tall, achromatic algae, which hindered my natural walking speed. While walking along the five-hundred metre-long stretch of seaweed, my eyes remained peeled to the infrared power lines along the ocean floor, in search of a Power Conduit. I thought of my clone again, wondering if I truly saw her up on those cliffs. If I did, why did she act so strange? Where did she go after that? My questions ended abruptly, when I came across the carcasses of Pirates and Troopers laying awkwardly along the ocean floor, their heads disconnected and their eyes missing. Yet another battlefield where two forces fought over who would get to investigate the parasitic core of Twin Tabula. Scanning each individual Space Pirate and GF Trooper, I attempted to extract every bit of data to complete the jigsaw puzzle they left behind.

Terminology such as "blood-sucking demons," "Mount Osiris," and "the Ancient Ones," stood out above the rest of the data I compiled. Furthermore, my map expanded with each corpse I scanned. The Power Conduit lay hidden within the core of Mount Osiris, several kilometres beyond where I now stood. Although I first believed the Space Pirates to be the monolithic force who ended my comrades' lives, and vice-versa, I now wondered if the "blood-sucking demons" they mentioned played a role in this fight. Embarking down the path of algae toward the coveted Mount Osiris, my hope was that I would soon encounter a Landing Site. It would preferable not to backtrack such a long distance, if I were, in fact, in desperate need of the Light Suit and Light Beam.

When I finally made it to the opposite end of the achromatic path, the oceanic walls widened to form a circle with paths leading straight ahead, to my left, and to my right. The earth dipped at the center, similar to the arena where I fought Draygon. I had no information about the paths to the north and south. Both the Pirates and the Federation were keen on visiting Mount Osiris to the east. In any case, barriers covered the northern and southern paths. Frigidite, the icy material commonly used by Space Pirates, closed off any means to travel in those directions.

The number in fauna increased, when I entered the convex lakebed hub. Again, I wondered if those "blood-sucking demons" restricted other carnivores from devouring the human cattle camouflaged within the algae. Additionally, this brought about the question as to where they were, and what they were. Thinking put me at a disadvantage: the aggravating creatures of the ocean were in constant need of attention. Bloggs would charge toward me, Jelzap would reel me in with magnetic force and disable my Visors, and Aqua Reapers would grab me with their tentacle bodies. After dealing with them, using my assortment of Beam weapons, I tried looking toward the surface, wondering if this large, circular space acted as a submerged Landing Site.

EXT. TWIN TABULA TRENCH – NIGHT

Samus steps foot into the eastern labyrinth of algae, when she notices a disembodied leg in front of her. She tries to pick it up, but finds difficulty. Soon, she realizes a BLONZAK tugging on the opposite end. Samus is in disgust, standing before a black, slimy, asymmetrical mess. One eye is larger than the other is, and its shark-like teeth form an under bite. Samus looks over her shoulder, and discovers TWO MORE BLONZAK behind her. She gets into a defensive position.

The Blonzak were four-legged beasts that were somehow capable of walking along the ocean floor. Their morphed heads were disproportionate, in comparison to the size of their torsos. Each time a demon hound would lunge its front legs forward, its stomps would shake the earth. No weapon I had would weaken them. According to Scan Data, I would require either a strong source of Light energy or a powerful explosion. Understanding that I stood no chance against the four-legged vampires, my only course of action was to run. My heart raced, and I could hear the weight of my own breath.

Given the lack of power in the trench, and the Frigidite barricades to the north and south, embracing the obstructive algae was the only option I had. Space Jumping over the eastern bed of seaweed, I began somersaulting in mid-air for roughly thirty metres. As I expected, the Blonzak chased after me; even in mid-air, I could feel the tremors they unleashed with each gallop. Once I could no longer Screw Attack, I plummeted like a cannonball back onto the lakebed. A trio of hellish mouths tried to break open my armour in spherical form. Gnawing on metal with the sharpest set of teeth I had ever seen, each of the three demons had a chance to bite into my armour. In response, I fed them each a Morph Ball bomb.

When stunning the Blonzak for a few moments, I escaped Morph Ball mode, and climbed onto one of their backs. Due to the tall, withering algae slowing me down and preventing me from jumping, I needed to rely on these frightening fiends in order to reach the opposite end of the trench. This in turn made me panic even more. Utilizing my Screw Attack ability from atop the stunned demon, I somersaulted over another thirty metres of seaweed. The four-legged vampires trailed right behind me, still hungry. Immediately boosting away, I tried to venture as far as I could, but the algae kept slowing me down. With each stomp that catapulted me, I released a Morph Ball bomb to stun them for a nanosecond or two, but they still managed to catch up to me.

Stunning them yet again, I raced away from the Blonzak with my Screw Attack ability before they could recover.

"Warning: Damage to Dark Suit critical. Automatic shutdown imminent."

"Oh, no, no, no! Not now! Not now!"

When I landed, I kept a close eye both on the trio of demons and on the Threat Assessment gauge on my Visor. The thought of being at the bottom of an alien ocean in just my Zero Suit frightened me, especially alongside such monsters. Without even engaging the enemy, my energy levels steadily declined; the Blonzak's teeth already punctured my armour. Mount Osiris was within reach, awaiting my Arm Cannon to power the dynamo. However, as I approached the first Arm Cannon slot, power already returned to that portion of the mountain. Holding off my thoughts until I was safe, I simply accepted whatever just occurred, and ran up the spiral.

Again, when I reached the second slot, the next portion of the spiral unlocked. Grappling across each platform as fast as possible, I tried to keep my distance from the monstrous Blonzak before it was too late. When I entered the dynamo through a Morph Ball slot, I released a brief smile; for a moment, I was safe from those demons. Catching me off guard, I swore I saw SA-X exit through the Morph Ball slot opposite the one I just entered. Anxious to see if it was she, I boosted straight after her, and bomb jumped out to the third spiral. For once, I had a break from the demonic beasts, using both my Screw Attack and Spider Ball abilities to cross the proceeding chasm. Oddly, I did not see SA-X anywhere, making me wonder if this was all in my head. An internal, robotic countdown initiated within my suit. Then, nearly giving me a heart attack, the blood-sucking demons flew toward me.

"They can fly?"

I ran and ran, racing for the summit of Mount Osiris, praying that either SA-X, the silhouette, or whatever was wrong with me would power the final energy slot and save me from disaster.

EXT. MOUNT OSIRIS – NIGHT

Samus panics, mere seconds away from automatic shutdown of her Dark Suit. She Screw Attacks onto the platform that holds the final Arm Cannon slot. Ready to use her Power Beam to energize the remaining portion of Mount Osiris, the final spiral activates for her. Samus races for the summit of the ancient mountain, while a Blonzak bites into her leg. Her Dark Suit disables just as she reaches the top.

EXT. MOUNT OSIRIS: SUMMIT – NIGHT

SA-X stands on the peak of Mount Osiris, her charged Arm Cannon pointed at the spiral. Samus collapses onto her knees, directly in front of her clone. SA-X finishes off the demonic Blonzak with a super-powerful Sunburst onslaught.

SAMUS

(panting)

What happened to lying in bed, so that you can be healthy again?

SA-X steps off the tallest peak of Mount Osiris, noticing the Power Bomb attachment encased in a glass cylinder directly beside Samus. Samus looks over, noticing that she is within arm's reach of acquiring one of the most dangerous weapons in existence. She stretches her arm, desperate to grab the cylinder. Just when she is about to touch the glass with her finger, SA-X steps on her hand with her boot. The Light energy continuing to flow through her armour passes through to Samus' veins. The powerless bounty hunter shouts in agony. SA-X kicks open the cylinder, shards of glass cutting through Samus' flesh. SA-X picks up the Power Bomb upgrade, and adds the attachment to her suit.

INT. SA-X'S COMBAT VISOR – NIGHT

' _Power Bomb online'_ appears on-screen.

EXT. MOUNT OSIRIS: SUMMIT – NIGHT

SA-X helps Samus up.

SAMUS

T-Thanks-!

Samus abruptly runs to the edge of the summit, and vomits blood into the ocean. She groans in displeasure, and wipes her lips with her spandex-covered thumb. She turns back around to face SA-X.

SAMUS

What's gotten into you-?

However, SA-X is no longer there. The summit of Mount Osiris opens, splitting into thirds, with the kinetic orb cannon activating. She notices that the cannon is targeting an island resting above Twin Tabula Trench. A Federation Helicarrier catches Samus off-guard, landing on the water. Gusts of wind cause her hair to fly. She watches as a FLEET ADMIRAL and two GF TROOPERS ride a bridge, which extends from the Helicarrier to the summit of Mount Osiris. She also notices her Gunship aboard the space vessel, alongside multiple military aircraft. She gulps, and tries to stand tall.

FLEET ADMIRAL

Samus Aran, your efforts to purge this virus have caused nothing but pain and anguish for the Federation.

SAMUS

What are you talking about?

FLEET ADMIRAL

Please, do not argue with me. I despise having to do this, given your remarkable portfolio, but-

SAMUS

But what, Admiral? Please, explain to me whatever it is you're talking about.

FLEET ADMIRAL

Your... friends, would you call them?

SAMUS

(enunciating)

Their names are Tyson and Sam.

FLEET ADMIRAL

And now that we have both delinquents, all we require is you.

Silence.

FLEET ADMIRAL

Miss Aran, the Federation refuses to negotiate with you any further. You are-

SAMUS

I am not under arrest! And I am not coming with you!

FLEET ADMIRAL

Do you think I came to this planet to relax  
on one of these islands and enjoy a martini?

SAMUS

(mumbling)

Fuck you.

FLEET ADMIRAL

Excuse me?

SAMUS

(walking over to the kinetic orb cannon)

Fuck you!

The Fleet Admiral nods at the soldier to his left. The GF Trooper brings out an electroshock weapon to induce neuromuscular incapacitation. Samus stumbles forward, fainting. The other GF Trooper reaches toward her to catch her.

FADE TO:

INT. GF HELICARRIER: SAMUS' CELL – NIGHT

Samus groans, awaking from her forced slumber. She lifts the blanket to sit on the front-facing side of the prison bed. Someone removed even her Zero Suit, dressing her in her matching carrot orange sports bra and gym shorts. Samus sits hunched, her mind full of thought.

It somehow never occurred to me that I would end up in a prison cell. Never in my years of bounty hunting did I think I would be a prisoner, talked down to and degraded by snarky men and women. Feeling a bit of turbulence, my best guess was that we were on a return trip to Federation HQ. Not a single window was within reach; the guards locked me up in complete darkness. I could hardly see my pale skin or the colour of the clothes I wore. The thought occurred to me as to whether one of the guards went into the closet of my Gunship, searching for something that had no built-in Chozo technology. In fairness, I had few of the sort, not being much for clothes shopping. None of my casual wear were designer brands per se; I tended to spend that money toward things that I felt were more important.

As I stood up from my uncomfortable bed, the aches and pains from SA-X and the Blonzak returned. I rubbed my skin all over, feeling the bumps and popped veins, as well as the cuts and scars given to me by SA-X. The zap of electricity from earlier did nothing of benefit to my health, which was now even worse than ever before. Excessive coughing ensued, with large concentrations of phlegm to boot. My eyes and lips were dry, and the cold floor sent goosebumps up my legs. Strangely, the guards went even so far as to remove my socks. Although I tried to warm them up in bed, the thin, contorted blanket hardly did the trick. The pillows even failed to keep my head afloat. Stuffed blankets and big, fluffy pillows were key to a good night's rest, and the Federation would even deny me that.

The lack of a clock forced me to question how late or early it was; I could only guess it was the middle of the night, based on when I arrived on Mount Osiris.

"Where are they holding Tyson and Sam?"

Given the power of the Light Suit, it was impossible to tell what the Intensive Care Unit and the suit itself did to modify SA-X. Thinking back to our brief time together on Mount Osiris, there was certainly something different about her. There was an abrasiveness to SA-X: a side that only existed in her infancy, when she was in search of her self-identity. That moment on Mount Osiris reminded me of our time on the mountaintops of Phendrana Drifts, where we had our first battle. The lack of developed intelligence made me question whether she was already without her secondary brain.

I was desperate to see the both of them, Tyson and SA-X. I could not live another moment in this wretched prison cell. The silence, the darkness, and the confined space was torture to me. My anxiety was at its peak, making me scratch the itchy bumps infesting my arms and legs. Although the floor was like ice, I felt the need to keep moving. The awful bed was not for me, hardly even fitting my height; the blanket only went down to my shins. I tried peeking out through the metal bars, praying that a kind soul would set me free and let me return to my ship, but not a single person was in sight. The cells across from me were so dark; there was no way to tell if there were any other prisoners nearby

The sudden urge to urinate caught me off-guard, causing me to scramble around the cell for a toilet. I held out my hands in all directions, hoping to find a receptacle that I could use to relieve my bladder. Despite my cautiousness, my search resulted in me stubbing my toe against a paint bucket, causing it to fall onto its side. If anything, the combined sound of my exclamation and the canister falling over should have attracted someone's attention. When adjusting the paint bucket, I slid down my shorts, and crouched overtop of it. My eyes tearing up as I released a big yawn, it appeared my midnight weariness finally kicked in. Although I despised the bed in this room, I tried to reach the most desperate need for sleep possible; I wanted to be tired enough that it made no difference where I slept, just that I would fall asleep instantaneously. Once I finished hovering over the paint bucket, I exhaustingly fluffed my pillows and blanket, and then collapsed into bed.

Freedom was not a word that really existed in my vocabulary. Brief spasms of consciousness, likely a result of the anesthesia, allowed me to witness segments of the fiendish Federation treating me with disrespect and arrogance, as though I did not belong in this world. Somehow, despite the earlier operation, I managed to escape and locate my sister on Twin Tabula, but lacked the intelligence to communicate and display the emotions I felt sincerely. The freedom that I longed for no longer existed, due to this abhorred, quarantined imprisonment. There was no escape for me.

The most grueling portion of my indictment was when I awoke in an exam bed naked, my flesh only partially redeveloping, with several surgeons debating how they could kill me. Treating my body as a toy, they questioned not how to quarantine me, but how to dispose of me. The Federation now had a fully functional Tyson in their possession again; I was useless to them. Now inside of a stasis tank, the thought of death lingered within my toxic skull. Imagery of how the Galactic Federation might terminate me was haunting.

The nightmare of the Federation dismantling my Light Suit kept playing in my head. Soon, they would find out that, when I was still had control, I could have killed every one of those bastards. At no point, did I regret such a thought. Death consumed me, fantasizing about filling the corridor with every evil heart and intestine aboard this ship and painting the walls with crimson. Nothing would put me more at ease than creating art with the flesh and blood of those inferior human soldiers. Soon, they would see just how mad and toxic I truly was. Never would I give up my attempts in escaping this godforsaken stasis tank; it was only a matter of time before they would see me next, and I would make sure that they regretted ever attempting to toy with me.

The tingling sensation spreading from my wrists and ankles was excruciating; the X-figure they put me in was even worse. I tried to calculate an escape route. My twin had to be facing just as much torment as I did. The Federation would keep her imprisoned for as long as they liked, and that was not something I could allow.

My first objective was to detach myself from these digital handcuffs. I tugged and tugged, using as much force as possible. I even tried to push the stasis tank onto its side with my body. Kicking and elbowing the glass was difficult to accomplish, but I attempted it nonetheless. My efforts continued for what felt like hours. Suddenly, a pool of fiery phlegm entered through the metal bars that made sure I remained sealed. This fluid was elastic, somehow capable of reforming and reshaping itself into something more human. When witnessing the structuring of a familiar demonic face, I realized what I saw. The phlegm of Oormine II, the piping hot parasitic lava that spewed from the mouths of carved pumpkins, was my blood. The Plasma Demon that formed was representative of a form that I failed to take.

The demon standing before me had all the opportunity to replace the Federation's death toll unto me. I waited for the foul beast to shatter the glass; the crystalline shards cut my parasitic body all over. This moment was my penitence for how I treated my twin back on Mount Osiris, though I anticipated she would retaliate shortly. The Plasma Demon grabbed my limbs one by one, and freed me with cruel, painful force. There was no way I could fight until the oxygen and parasitic blood refueled my strength. As I learned from the Spark Demon on Mount Pluto, I followed my instincts to guide me where to dodge each of the beast's attacks.

Once my limbs finally recovered, a sudden surge of energy fueled my blood stream. I could feel the adrenaline begin to pump through my veins, my singular brain regaining control. Bashing the Plasma Demon's face against the wall, I rejoiced in my deliverance of pain toward this beast. For as long as his jaw was within my grasp, it would be possible for me to absorb a percentage of his parasitic blood to maintain a consistent flow of adrenaline. Kneeing him in the stomach, cutting open his flesh with shards of glass, or even twisting his wrists when he tried to attack me, there was no way I could allow this fiend to stand in the way of my escape.

The more I interacted with the Plasma Demon, the more he began to look like me in my weakest state, and the more I began to tower over him. The parasitic blood that flowed within us was a monstrous enhancement of strength, endurance, and dominance. The vampire before me was entirely capable of continuing the torture initiated by the Galactic Federation. I received a variety of devastating attacks from my foe, ranging from the breaking of my bones to suffocation. The utilization of instincts became much less reliable, as my power increased. Although the pain I felt was mighty, the pain I delivered was tenfold. The longer our battle dwelled, and the more his blood transferred into my veins, my gruesome plot could begin to unfold.

Breaking through the metal bars by throwing his body, I released the inferior demon into the wild. I wondered if the Federation might mistake me for the Plasma Demon and vice-versa. Rampaging through every corridor, my hunt for Samus and her robotic companion ensued. As much as I enjoyed toying with the vampire back in my cell, I had even more fun slaughtering the dozens of Federation Troopers that came after me. The visualization that made my mood increase could finally come to fruition. Their toxic organs were mine to hunt, and their blood was mine to drink. Their meat filled my stomach with the nutrition that I desperately needed. Human eyes were perfect, as they were small yet plentiful. I lost count as to how many eyeballs I ate.

Samus had to be somewhere aboard this ship; there was no way she already escaped. While incapacitating as much of the militia as possible, I shouted and screamed in my monstrous, guttural language, hoping to get the attention of my sister. The Federation was on high alert, ready to kill or tranquilize me however necessary. In addition, I could feel the adrenaline within slowly beginning to decrease. Given this was the third time now that the Federation captured me and allowed me to escape, the most logical that my demise would be here. For this reason, it was my duty to free Samus and Tyson, and act as a wall to allow their freedom.

INT. GF HELICARRIER: SAMUS' CELL – NIGHT

Samus awakes to the monstrous sounds coming from outside her cell. She flips open her blanket, and rushes over to the metal bars.

SAMUS

The hell is going on out here?

INT. GF HELICARRIER: CELLBLOCK C – NIGHT

SA-X, the tall, bulky parasite monster hears this, and rips out the metal bars to free her twin. Samus runs to the smaller, more familiar parasite monster, who was about to surprise attack SA-X from behind. Samus grabs the Plasma Demon, thinking it to be her clone, and pins him against the wall.

SAMUS

Sam! Sam, what are you doing right-?

She notices the wings, horns, and tail.

SAMUS

You're not...

She looks over, and stares in horror at the terrifying brute killing the remaining GF Troopers from preventing their escape.

SAMUS

Sam...?

SA-X picks up Samus with her claw, brings her up to her face, and roars happily.

SAMUS

(nervous)

Yeah, yeah, I'm happy to see you, too...!

SA-X transfers funnelled blood into Samus' cardiovascular system. In the process, SA-X gradually shrinks in height and weight, while the veins, cuts, and scars on Samus' body diminish.

SAMUS

You're saving me...?

SA-X growls in delight.

SAMUS

...Thanks.

SA-X puts Samus back down. The bounty hunter barely dodges an attack from the Plasma Demon. Samus, feeling stronger, utilizes martial arts to defeat the inferior parasite, ultimately killing him by twisting his neck.

Eerie silence follows.

Samus looks around at all of the dead people in the corridor, and at the collapsed, normal-sized SA-X on the ground. She takes a deep breath, grabs an electroshock weapon from one of the soldiers, and heads off to find Tyson and the Light Suit.

As I stepped deeper into this expansive airship, terror filled my head. I could not believe that my clone killed, dissected, and devoured so many of the Federation troops that guarded this place. Remaining soldiers had to be on the lookout for her and me. I began to question why I left SA-X there, collapsed alongside the dozens of soldiers that made the corridor look like dead fish washed ashore. I anticipated a Trooper would surprise me around the next corner, grabbing me tight by the wrists and placing me somewhere I could not escape. I made sure my footsteps were quiet, such that it would be less likely for them to hear me. Crouching and hiding, the red floodlights consuming this Helicarrier, my mission was to retrieve my belongings as stealthily as possible.

Time passed so slowly on this spacecraft. Perhaps our arrival at Federation HQ would be at sunrise. Reminded of the blood transfusion provided by SA-X, the fact that she was still aware of me surprised me. After our incident on Mount Osiris, I was certain she was a lost cause; I presumed the lack of an intelligent brain would bring forth pure chaos, but in truth, there was still heart somewhere deep inside of her. I hoped we could communicate again like before; it would be pitiful if SA-X were like this forever.

Caution and precision were key to securing our escape. I could not allow any approaching Troopers to reach my clone. She needed a moment to recover, so that we could return to my Gunship and backtrack to Twin Tabula. Eventually, I entered the operations deck. Dozens of engineers and flight controllers were aboard to ensure safe travel from one galaxy to another. The thought occurred to me whether the Federation placed Tyson as co-pilot of this airship, as it would be the most complex location for me to reach. Accepting such a challenge, I attempted to sneak by every operator of the Helicarrier in the hopes of reuniting with my robot companion.

The anticipation grew, as I neared the cockpit. Sweat began to drip from my face: the possibility of someone catching me was frightening. I tried to avoid using the electroshock weapon, as someone would inevitably notice the reaction a crewmember would make. With enough luck, I came across a set of escalators. Riding them down led me to a three-way intersection: Cockpit, Storage, and ICU. I entered the helm of the ship, and identified the back of a human head with gray hair to my left and the back of a robot head to my right. Silently, I held out my electroshock weapon, and incapacitated the pilot from his balding head. To secure a successful suppression, I firmly gripped his upper jaw, covering his mouth to muffle the pilot's words of anguish, and then placed him on the ground to sleep.

INT. GF HELICARRIER: COCKPIT – NIGHT

TYSON

(shocked)

Ma'am?

Samus lunges forward to silence him.

SAMUS

(whispering)

I'm so glad you're okay.

FLIGHT CONTROLLER

(V.O.)

Sir, we have a bit of an issue here.

Samus nods, telling Tyson to reply. She seats herself in the pilot seat.

TYSON

Yes, sir! What appears to be the problem?

FLIGHT CONTROLLER

(V.O.)

Several Space Pirate ATCs attempting to breach the vessel.

SAMUS

Oh, what in god's name do they want now...?

Awkward silence.

FLIGHT CONTROLLER

(V.O.)

Tyson?

TYSON

Yes, sir?

FLIGHT CONTROLLER

(V.O.)

Who is sitting in the cockpit with you?

TYSON

Why, the pilot, of course.

FLIGHT CONTROLLER

(V.O.)

Whose voice did I hear just now?

TYSON

(slowly)

Voice, sir?

FLIGHT CONTROLLER

(V.O.)

The Admiral is not going to be too happy with you, Tyson. Do you want to upset him?

INT. GF HELICARRIER: OPERATIONS DECK – NIGHT

The flight controller speaking with Tyson awaits a response.

SAMUS

(V.O.)

Upset him? _(laughs)_ As if he isn't upset already. I just walked down each one of those cellblocks. Do you know how many soldiers I saw that were still alive? Go ahead. Guess.

The flight controller gulps.

SAMUS

(V.O.)

Correct. None. Now, I'm going to head over to Storage, get my stuff, and I'm going to kill every last one of those godforsaken Pirates. Are we clear?

Pause.

FLIGHT CONTROLLER

(nervous)

Yes, ma'am.

SAMUS

(V.O.)

And when I leave on my Gunship, I am taking Tyson and my sister with me. And you are not going to chase after me.

FLIGHT CONTROLLER

Of course.

Static follows.

INT. GF HELICARRIER: COCKPIT – NIGHT

Samus disables the communication line. She then gets up to exit through the automatic door.

SAMUS

You stay here and keep me posted on those Space Pirates.

Tyson stares, nervous.

SAMUS

I'll get you out of here soon. I promise.

Tyson nods.

Samus exits.

FADE TO:

INT. GF HELICARRIER: STORAGE – NIGHT

Samus discovers two pairs of Zero Suits, a dismantled Dark Suit, and a dismantled Light Suit. She removes her bra and shorts, and switches into her Maya and Catalina blue, spandex body suit.

FADE TO:

INT. GF HELICARRIER: CELLBLOCK C – NIGHT

Samus walks over to SA-X, holding a Denim and San Marino Zero Suit. The parasite girl is only slowly beginning to awake from her slumber.

SAMUS

Sam? Sam, I'm gonna need you to wake up.

SA-X growls.

SAMUS

I know, but we have Space Pirates coming, and I'm gonna need your full attention to take them out. Can you do that for me?

Another growl.

SAMUS

Here, let me get this on for you.

Samus goes to dress SA-X in her Zero Suit, only for the parasite girl to snarl loudly and push Samus away. She then tackles Samus onto the ground. The bounty hunter quickly puts the Light Suit online.

INT. SAMUS' COMBAT VISOR – NIGHT

SA-X goes to punch Samus in the face. She blocks the attack.

SAMUS

What are you doing?

TYSON

(V.O.)

Ma'am, you might want to hurry up!

SAMUS

(simultaneously)

We can't fight right now! Get off me!

SA-X growls.

TYSON

(V.O.)

Ma'am, do you copy?

SAMUS

(aggravated)

Yes, Tyson, what's the matter?

Samus tries to fight SA-X while chatting with Tyson.

TYSON

(V.O.)

There is a large army of Space Pirates about to-

SAMUS

My clone is a psychotic mess right now! I'm trying to deal with her so that she can help us!

TYSON

(V.O.)

You put too much faith in her...

SAMUS

What was that?

TYSON

(nervous, V.O.)

Nothing... ma'am.

Continuing her rampage, it was evident that my clone had no plans on stopping anytime soon. While taking on the brute, I noticed the size and amount of those black, slimy splotches on her body increased quite dramatically. This made me wonder if the blood transfusion she gave me had a negative effect on her, further enriching the black symbiotic toxins to spread. As I alternated utilization of the Light Beam, and Purge Beam and Radiation Shield, my concern for her well-being increased; only the autumn mucus reacted to my weaponry. Pausing for a moment, memories of our battle back on the FS-176 space station flooded my head. The ooze aboard the station turned dark, evolving into its molasses-like state. This viscous substance granted SA-X a second layer of parasite. Perhaps this fight was the return of Dark Samus-X.

There was no point in idling by, when my clone needed to come to her senses. Dozens of Space Pirates were about to intervene our battle, and I needed her on my side. I continually put the weight of my armour to use, punching, kicking, and throwing her against the walls. There were just as many Pirates as there were people aboard this airship; it would be impossible for me to save every single person. My Light Beam-Purge Beam and Radiation Shield technique did not work as smoothly as I knew it could. The constant mobility and physical contact made this battle much more arduous and energetic. I tried hard to retain a certain level of dominance, needing enough force to switch my clone's focus onto the true enemies. I wondered if I could lure her outside somehow, if seeing our foes land would get her attention.

"Tyson, mark the nearest exit on my radar for me! I have a plan!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Does this airship have any weapons?"

"Of course!"

"Destroy as many of those bloody ships as you can target!"

"Understood!"

I eagerly awaited the yellow blip on my radar to appear, while taking on my belligerent clone. I continued to alternate Beam weapons, wanting to prevent the autumn mucus all over her body from re-growing. Updating my goal partway through, I made it so that she could activate the Dark Suit from her Zero Suit and use the power of the baking chocolate sludge to kill the Pirates approaching the Helicarrier.

Once the icon popped up on my Visor, I began luring SA-X outside. After seeing how many Federation Troops she killed in the cellblock corridors, I knew she was more than capable of annihilating a few dozen Space Pirates. The sound of heavy artillery greeted my clone and I, as we exited the ship. SA-X was ready to push the two of us outside with extreme force. Both of us collapsing onto the deck of the Helicarrier, two major events welcomed us: the explosions of multiple Space Pirate ATCs and the descent into Earth's atmosphere. Already, enough time passed that our space travel from Twin Tabula was nearly complete. At such an inopportune time, I recalled the reaction to my last incident on Federation Island; of how frightened the people were when they witnessed my actions toward the Federation militia, and how frightened they would be when they discovered multiple spacecrafts headed toward the planet. Wanting to ensure the safety of the people on the surface, I had yet another call to make.

"Tyson?"

"Yes, Miss Aran?"

"I need you to do me a really big favour."

"What would that be, ma'am?"

"Send this giant ship into the Pacific. The three of us will make our escape, once the Pirates are all dead. Tell Headquarters that the crew is gonna need emergency evac."

"But ma'am—!"

"Do it!"

"...Yes... Miss Aran..."

As I expected, the arrival of Space Pirates caught SA-X's attention. Her brutality toward me weakened. I wondered if some part of her remembered that her birth was thanks to the Space Pirates. I knew to leave the parasite in her brain alone, as extracting the toxicity in her skull would likely lead to death. For the remainder of our battle, I continued my method of combining Light Beam, Purge Beam and Radiation Shield, and martial arts. This method was the only means of getting SA-X inside of the Dark Suit, which I presumed would more so soothe her toxicity than asphyxiate it. Thoughts slowly began to form about how I might install a new intelligent brain inside her head. However, this was not the time for ideas; I needed to focus on battle.

Although Tyson managed to destroy many ATCs with turrets, plenty of Pirates already figured out how to board the spacecraft. SA-X now capable of activating her Zero and Dark Suits, the two of us turned our focus toward our true foes. Recalling that I wielded Power Bombs, I began strategizing where and when I could unleash the mighty explosive across a wide enough radius that would vanquish as many Pirates as possible. In the meantime, my powerful Light Beam was capable of taking down most of the smaller Pirates, while using Super Missiles worked best on the larger ones. Tyson destroyed as many of the ATCs that attempted to board, while Dark Samus-X did wonders to kill the Space Pirate brutes, and even protected my Gunship. It astounded me how many Space Pirates wanted to start a war. I could not help but wonder what they felt they needed.

Space Pirates of all sorts came to fight: Aerotroopers, Pirate Grenadiers, Elite Pirates, Shadow Pirates, and Trooper Pirates. Dark Samus-X and I sent the airborne villains flying with projectile weapons of our own. To those that wielded grenade launchers, we used our Dark and Light Beams. We fired missiles and blasts of Light to the Elite Pirates, while also using our Purge Beams and Radiation Shields. Requiring our Thermal Visors to see the Shadow Pirates, my clone and I took out each of them with brute force. The Trooper Pirates, meanwhile, received charge Beam blasts correlating with the colour of their armour. Given the amount of Elite Pirates aboard the Helicarrier, I wondered how much of the virus was already in the Pirates' possession. Perhaps they mined large concentrations of the parasitic matter, and decided to use them on their subordinates, like what they did with Phazon.

The majority of the smaller Pirates were simple to take out, only needing a few charged shots or missiles to kill them. However, the amount of Elite Pirates increased in numbers. I knew it was time to put the Power Bombs to use. Switching to Morph Ball mode, I tried to lure my foes to a sizable area on the deck. Once the tall, menacing beasts were in my trap, I unleashed a magnificent explosion. Encasing us in a large hemisphere of orange, the damage of the Power Bomb was likely identifiable from a large distance. The smoke slowly beginning to dissipate, I rejoined Dark Samus-X in killing the remaining Space Pirates attempting to hijack the Helicarrier. Peering over at our destination, the horizon of blue began to fill my peripheral vision. The Pacific Ocean was within reach.

EXT. GF HELICARRIER: DECK – DAY

Samus walks over to her Gunship, powering it remotely from her Arm Cannon.

SAMUS

All right, Tyson! I believe we're clear!

TYSON

(V.O.)

I'm on my way, Miss Aran!

INT. GF HELICARRIER: COCKPIT – DAY

After initiating an autopilot landing sequence, Tyson gets up from the pilot seat, and walks over to the automatic door, only for a severely wounded Fleet Admiral to greet him.

TYSON

Sir! You're still alive!

FLEET ADMIRAL

Burial at sea, is it?

Silence.

FLEET ADMIRAL

You set the ship to autopilot, didn't you?

TYSON

Yes, sir. Is that a problem?

FLEET ADMIRAL

Out of my way!

The Fleet Admiral pushes Tyson aside, and walks over to the pilot seat.

FLEET ADMIRAL

You best head off with your partner. The water will kill you.

Tyson begins to leave.

FLEET ADMIRAL

Tyson!

Tyson stops at the door, turning his head toward the Fleet Admiral.

FLEET ADMIRAL

Take care of yourself. _(beat)_ And that brat! God knows she needs help.

Tyson nods and exits.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – DAY

Samus prepares for lift off. Tyson enters. He seats himself in the co-pilot seat, and helps. They begin lifting off.

TYSON

Uh, ma'am? Where's-?

SAMUS

Don't worry about her. Let's go!

EXT. GF HELICARRIER – DAY

Samus, Tyson, and SA-X begin their flight out of Earth's atmosphere.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – DAY

Samus and Tyson pilot the ship.

TYSON

Start-up into warp speed commencing...

SAMUS

Velocity rising... _(beat)_ Velocity reached.

TYSON

Warp speed engaged.

EXT. SOLAR SYSTEM – DAY

Samus, Tyson, and SA-X zoom toward the FS-176 star system.

FADE TO:

INT. GF HEADQUARTERS: AURORA CHAMBER – DAY

The Fleet Admiral, speaking with Aurora Unit 149, gulps.

AURORA UNIT 149

May I ask why you let them escape?

FLEET ADMIRAL

Tyson's data would have been useless.

AURORA UNIT 149

Useless?

FLEET ADMIRAL

Yes.

AURORA UNIT 149

Why?

FLEET ADMIRAL

The ocean would have-

AURORA UNIT 149

Nonsense! You let her escape! _(beat)_ Do you really think going back and chasing after her would be wise?

FLEET ADMIRAL

Why not-?

AURORA UNIT 149

Report to me in twenty-four hours with a foolproof plan to apprehend Miss Aran. I will not allow her to investigate Twin Tabula or purge the virus any longer.

FLEET ADMIRAL

Yes, of course.

The Fleet Admiral bows solemnly, and begins to exit. Unit 149 stops him, briefly.

AURORA UNIT 149

And make sure you kill the parasite girl this time.

Before the Fleet Admiral can even reply, Unit 149 returns to sleep mode, the glass of her stasis tank turning mosaic.

FADE TO:

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – DAY

Samus, now in her Zero Suit, gets out of the pilot seat. She stretches, and then begins to explore the rest of her home.

With the recent events caused by the Galactic Federation, my Gunship was a mess yet again. My needing to subdue Dark Samus-X for lift-off, I had to put off cleaning my home until we were free from harm. The Federation was keen on finding out if I hid any secret information or artifacts anywhere. I hoped they did not confiscate any of my belongings, like my savings or my childhood photo album. Searching room by room, I checked each of my possessions to see if everything was still in its place. To my surprise, the Federation left most of my things intact; everything I hid were still where they belonged. However, they fooled around with the technology in my observatory, left my kitchen cupboards open, and made a mess of my bedroom, so it was clear they were after something.

Cleaning up my bedroom closet, I began by re-sorting my digital vinyl by artist and year of release. My holo-novels were also in disarray, some fallen over and some on the floor. The amount of clutter all over the Gunship was absurd, and I predicted that I would be busy doing it for a while. As such, I flipped through my digital vinyl until I found a suitable album that would not wake up my clone. I double-tapped the record, and sent the music to my surround sound speakers in the living room. Immediately, I had to turn the volume down, forgetting that I had it somewhat loud the last time to hear SA-X over the phone while the dishwasher ran.

Our Zero Suits and underwear were all sweaty. I expected to work up even more of a sweat from all the cleaning. Undressing, and bringing our clothes to the laundry room, I concluded that our frequent outfits could use a good wash. Applying the necessary settings wirelessly through my holo-phone, I let the washer-dryer do its thing, while I tended to the mess throughout my spaceship. The sight of my clothes being in such disarray was upsetting. Having just cleaned my closet not too long ago, the need to do it again made me a little angry. Similarly, the pantry in the kitchen was no longer as organized as I once had it. At the least, it was in better shape than when a group of Space Pirates broke in to steal Tyson.

Much as when I checked up on my belongings, I cleaned the Gunship room by room, section by section. Simultaneously, the vacuum and sweeper-mop droids made sure the carpet, rugs, and floor were immaculate. This whole process was time-consuming; we passed planet after planet by the minute, it felt. Once everything was finally proper, I could head to the gym to work out. I tended to follow the same routine, focusing on the muscles I used most. From the lat pulldown to the cable press, from chin-ups to bench-pressing, there were certain parts of my body that required the superb physique to accomplish the tasks I faced. There was quite the assortment of equipment in my gym, allowing me to develop the muscles across all over my body. I interchanged these machines throughout my sets and repetitions. My workout lasted quite some time; before I knew it, I already completed several rounds on the multiple machines. Grabbing a towel to wipe my sweat, I logged my session into my workout journal, and then headed to the bathroom for a necessary shower.

For no particular reason, I was in the mood for a lukewarm shower. After setting the water the way I liked it through my phone, I stared at my naked body through the mirror. The odd blood transfusion given to me by SA-X somehow alleviated the corruption initiated by the Dark Cronalian back at HQ. Moreover, my cuts and scars were practically nonexistent; the rapid healing process caught me by surprise. I felt so much better now than when I last examined my body. Though I appreciated what she did for me, I grew worried how much of a burden my clone might become. Freeing my hair from its ponytail, I hopped into the shower.

Switching the showerhead to spray soapy water all over me, I twirled around repeatedly until bubbles covered my arms, torso, and legs. Massaging each part of my body, I slowly made my rounds, scrubbing myself all over with a washcloth until satisfied; at which point, I would have the showerhead spray just water to rinse. In addition to washing myself, another decision of mine was to utilize this private moment to relax in an alternate way. Pleasure was not something I commonly experienced, as missions kept my hands busy so frequently. However, thanks to these spare moments, I had the opportunity to unwind and take a break. Although I much preferred doing it in my bed, Dark Samus-X slept there, thus making the shower my second option. As such, I took this calm, relaxing moment to place my hand between my legs, and fantasized.

Feeling completely relaxed for the first time in a while, I let the wall-to-wall electric body and hair dryer evaporate the water off my skin. The clothes in the laundry room were now clean and dry. Unlike during my previous, lonesome space travels, I could waltz around my Gunship in the nude as I pleased, but now, I risked the possibility of people seeing me. It surprised me that Tyson never caught me during my naked cleaning of the Gunship. Perhaps he preferred the cockpit to the other rooms in my home. Additionally, when I returned the other Zero Suit to Dark Samus-X, she was still sound asleep. To be fair, I intentionally gave her a large enough dosage of anesthesia to keep her from terrorizing Tyson and I on our way back to Twin Tabula.

With my kitchen now in order, I could make dinner hassle-free. The freezer still had a variety of meats, all of which I examined thoroughly. The pantry also caught my eye, contemplating if it might be more preferable to make pasta. I thought about making spaghetti and meatballs, but recalled how recently I made hamburgers, and that I ate the leftover burger and fries the day before. Fettuccini Alfredo came to mind. Without hesitation, I extracted the necessary ingredients and utensils to make it. Deciding servings was difficult, as I was unsure if my clone would eat while she was ill. After much contemplation, I argued making two helpings would be better, as I could eat the rest the next day, should there be any left over.

While waiting for the water to boil, I turned on the holo-vision, expecting the news to be covering the recent Helicarrier incident. To my surprise, a press event took place at Federation HQ, with the Fleet Admiral leading the event.

"—matter to us more than you could ever imagine. We take planetary protection seriously, and we aim to secure the lives of each and every citizen, not just on Earth, but on other planets as well."

"Why is the Federation so secretive about what exists in outer space?"

"Before we can even begin to communicate with intelligent life, we have to ensure their safety, so that they understood who their enemies are and who their allies are. Next question—"

"Admiral, yes or no, are we in danger—?"

"How did you manage to let that orange spacecraft get away—?"

"One question at a time, please. First, yes, to put it bluntly, we are in danger. We have men and women making sure that you all stay safe. Do not—"

"How did the Federation even allow this morning's incident to happen—?"

"I would appreciate it if everyone waited their turn."

The water now boiling, I gently inserted the noodles, and gave them the occasional stir. In the meantime, my concoction of the cheese sauce would begin, wanting the particular flavour and texture to make the pasta pop. Tyson surprised me with a visit, the scent of cooking and the sound of the holo-vision likely getting his attention.

"Hi, Tyson!"

"Hello, ma'am! Fettuccini Alfredo?"

"Mm-hmm! Sorry you can't eat any of my cooking. I'm sure living with a metal stomach is one of the worst parts of being a robot."

"Indeed."

"Yes, we have a major threat out there," the Fleet Admiral continued, his voice resonating from the surround sound speakers. "We have been fighting a particular species for decades now, but they continue to outnumber us. They threaten not just our star system, but some of the more distant ones as well. Our main duty, as it has been since we founded the Galactic Federation, is to protect our people."

"Is there any way I can help around the ship?" Tyson asked.

"Actually, there is something you could do. Could you fetch the logbook entry about you?"

"About me?"

"About your brain, specifically."

"What for?"

I gave him a long glare. He knew deep down what my intentions were. Tyson gulped, in response.

More of the Fleet Admiral's speech filled the brief silence, "What makes it so difficult to do is how capable they are. My crew intended to arrive safe and sound this morning, but this species got the best of us."

"Would you need assistance in constructing it?" Tyson wondered.

"Sure! Just watch out about your vendetta against her."

"I have no vendetta against her, ma'am."

"Fine. Your jealousy."

"I have no jealousy, either."

"Tyson, I care for you just the same. Okay? On equal terms."

"I'll get started on the construction."

"Thank you, Tyson."

While arguing with the cheese sauce over what the consistency should be, I turned my attention back to the event on the holo-vision. However, I only caught the tail end of it, the familiar chief correspondent reacting to the story with his panel.

"All right and welcome back. Joining me this afternoon, my wonderful panel, Sylvia, Rich, and Janice. Let's just jump right into it: the Galactic Federation finally answers the big question we asked them last time, 'Are we in danger?' Rich, we'll start with you. Your thoughts."

"Immediately, I have a question to ask this guy, and I know how much he loves answering questions: why now? Why is the Federation only beginning to talk about this interplanetary threat now? We now know that there is, in fact, intelligent life outside of Earth, but they're essentially planetary terrorists!"

"Well, let's not forget that he alluded to there being other life that are in danger because of these 'terrorists'."

"Right, he mentioned how we wanted allies, not enemies."

"What excites me in particular is his brash, forward thinking attitude. He knows what's coming. I blame PR for all the secrecy, not him."

"All right, let's not get too ahead of ourselves."

"Janice, we almost faced a catastrophe this morning! Thank god, that Helicarrier went into the Pacific Ocean; otherwise, we'd be screwed!"

"What about that ally of theirs? That orange spaceship looked different from the other aircraft the Federation has. I mean, look at some of the pictures circulating online. Who lives in that spaceship? That's what I wanna know."

Once settled on the proper thickness for Fettuccini Alfredo, I drained the water from the noodles, put the pasta back in the pot, and stirred in the cheese sauce. My eagerness to eat got the best of me. Grabbing a plate and fork, I brought my dinner with me to the Weapons Repair room, where Tyson was. Pure joy filled his face, eager to show me his accomplishments thus far.

"Miss Aran, look! The replica is nearly complete! I read these logbook entries at least a thousand times! I didn't want you to scold me for making a mistake!"

"I wouldn't have scolded you, Tyson."

"Oh, and look, we had all the necessary components to make a perfect duplicate! Even the blue light that allows her skin to appear translucent!"

"No wonder you haven't said a word all this time."

"I did not want to disappoint, ma'am."

Sitting next to Tyson at the table, I ate my dinner.

"Is she still asleep...?"

"I'm not sure," I replied. "She's been just as quiet as you. Maybe she woke up to the smell of my—

Tyson looked over at me, hearing the sound of my chewing.

"You're eating in here?"

"Is that a problem?"

"You don't eat in the Weapons Repair room!"

"Says who? This is my ship!"

"You're going to dirty up the replica, ma'am!"

"I won't! Don't worry about it! God, you sound just like Sam, when I made her French toast."

"I remember."

"So, what's it like, being in someone else's body?"

"I would rather not talk about it, ma'am. You eat your food. I'll continue with the replica."

"Okay..."

Awkward silence followed.

Greeting me once again was the most comfortable bed I ever experienced. A slight pain in my upper arm, likely from an injection, made me wonder just how long I was asleep. Attempting to stand, the black slime clung to the pillowcases, blanket cover, and sheets. Detaching myself from the bed was far more difficult than I anticipated. Through the window, there were no distinguishable planets to my naked eye; the Federation star ahead was about the size of a marble. Perhaps we were somewhere between star systems. The scent of food caught my attention. Stumbling in my walk, needing to remember how it functioned, I arduously made my way to the kitchen.

A peculiar dish in an oval-shaped bowl awaited. Wondering what sort of meal my twin created, I heavily inspected my dinner, unsure if it was edible. The plastic wrapping was extremely difficult to remove with my fingers, forcing me to poke holes and rip it off. My dinner already cool, I wondered if there might be some way to heat it. Bewildered by the numerous appliances, it took me long to examine every major apparatus in the kitchen, until I eventually came across a box that had the words 'Reheat' and 'Dinner' written on it. Growling in glee, I opened the hatch, and placed the oval-shaped bowl inside. The appliance did not take long to warm my dinner.

When discovering the cutlery, I found surprising difficulty in holding a fork. My attempts at holding a spoon were not so successful, either. No matter how many times I tried, I eventually concluded that dexterity was impossible in my current state. However, hidden in a slot above the main columns of cutlery rested pairs of wooden sticks, which conjoined on one side. Picking one of them up with the dexterity I apparently had, I managed to hold one of these utensils instantaneously. Not letting go, wanting to be able to eat my dinner with these twigs of wood, I retrieved my food from the appliance box, held my oval-shaped bowl at the base, and began consuming the peculiar dish while sitting on one of the stools.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: KITCHEN – DAY

Dark Samus-X is busy eating Fettuccini Alfredo with chopsticks. Samus walks over with her dishes, wanting to put them in the dishwasher.

SAMUS

Sam?

Dark Samus-X grumbles with her mouth full.

Samus gets closer.

SAMUS

Are you... eating pasta with chopsticks?

Dark Samus-X replies with another grumble.

SAMUS

Why?

Dark Samus-X enjoys her dinner too much to answer. Samus puts the intelligence replica on the counter, and then empties the dishwasher to insert new dirty dishes. Dark Samus-X's eyes widen. She takes the brain, and examines it. Samus looks over, after a while.

SAMUS

You wanna finish your dinner first?

Dark Samus-X roars. She gets up, and takes the brain with her to the bathroom.

SAMUS

Sam!

Samus chases after her.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: BATHROOM – DAY

Dark Samus-X tries to use the mirror to find the hole in her head. Samus barges in.

SAMUS

Sam? Give me the brain. I'll put it in for you.

Dark Samus-X growls.

SAMUS

The pain will be too intense for you! It'll feel like you're giving yourself brain surgery! Do you want that?

Another roar.

SAMUS

Sam, please, work with me here.

Samus tries to take the brain away from her clone. The two wrestle over it.

SAMUS

Give... it... here...!

Dark Samus-X snarls.

SAMUS

Come on... Sam...! Just let me-

Samus yanks the brain away from Dark Samus-X.

SAMUS

(cont'd)

-do it! Thank you!

EXT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: BATHROOM – DAY

Samus attempts to install Dark Samus-X's new brain. The parasite girl growls in pain.

SAMUS

(O.S.)

I told you this was a bad idea! I wouldn't have put you under for long! You'd be asleep for four, maybe five, minutes. _(beat)_ Sam? Sam! You're choking me!

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: BATHROOM – DAY

Samus attempts to install Dark Samus-X's new brain. The parasite girl strangles her twin.

SAMUS

(cont'd)

Can you please let go? You can hold my shoulders or my waist, but please don't strangle me!

Dark Samus-X stops, and roars apologetically.

SAMUS

Thank you. _(beat)_ I know it hurts, but it'll be all over soon, okay?

The parasite girl tries to nod.

SAMUS

Okay, don't move so much.

Dark Samus-X snarls.

SAMUS

Is my chest comfy enough for you?

Dark Samus-X growls again.

Samus finishes moments later.

SAMUS

I know, I know. You're lucky you're not human! I probably would've killed you by now!

Dark Samus-X releases her head from Samus' chest.

SAMUS

You okay?

The parasite girl hugs Samus.

SAMUS

(awkward)

Welcome back.

DARK SAMUS-X

Is Tyson-?

SAMUS

No. We made another one just for you.

Suddenly, the regular lights switch off, and the red emergency lights switch on. Samus and her clone gasp.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP – DAY

Samus and Dark Samus-X leave the bathroom, venturing for the cockpit. All of the emergency lights are on.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – DAY

Tyson is in the co-pilot seat, trying to manoeuvre around the massive, colliding space rocks. Samus and her clone enter, their eyes widening at the sight of the asteroids just outside the windshield.

SAMUS

How the hell are we gonna get around them?

TYSON

I'm not sure, ma'am. The Zebesian asteroids are behaving rather unusually today.

DARK SAMUS-X

Hand me the Plasma Beam you just got.

SAMUS

When did I get the Plasma Beam?

DARK SAMUS-X

Hurry!

Samus picks up her Arm Cannon, and opens it.

SAMUS

I'm telling you right now, I don't have the- I have the Plasma Beam.

DARK SAMUS-X

C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!

Samus removes the half-red, half-transparent cylinder from the Arm Cannon, and gives it to her clone.

DARK SAMUS-X

(exiting)

Great. Thanks.

SAMUS

W- Sam!

DARK SAMUS-X

(O.S.)

I'll take care of it! Don't worry!

SAMUS

Always in a hurry, that one...

TYSON

(to himself)

Speak for yourself, ma'am...

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: WEAPONS REPAIR ROOM – DAY

Dark Samus-X walks around, looking for the machine that deploys Ship Missiles.

DARK SAMUS-X

Ship Missiles, Ship Missiles... Ah!

She gets on her hands and knees, looking for a Charge Combo attachment. Eventually, she finds it, and inserts the half-red, half-transparent cylinder into its proper slot.

DARK SAMUS-X

The Chozo did half the work in building this ship, and yet she doesn't even know what it can do!

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – DAY

Samus, sitting in the pilot seat next to Tyson, attempts to avoid the looming asteroid field. However, within a few seconds, _'Ship Flamethrower online'_ appears on the Ship Visor.

SAMUS

Son of a bitch...

TYSON

Shall I activate the Ship Flamethrower, ma'am?

SAMUS

(defeated)

Do it...

Samus and Tyson watch as one of the asteroids chars and explodes into chunks of a much more reasonable size. The two pilots take care of the smaller chunks with Ship Missiles, and then resume flying at warp speed.

FADE TO:

EXT. TWIN TABULA TRENCH: LANDING SITE – DAY

The cyan colours illuminating Twin Tabula, Samus and her crew make their descent onto the planet.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – DAY

Samus and Tyson proceed with the necessary landing procedures, with Dark Samus-X watching over their shoulders.

TYSON

Activating the legs...

SAMUS

Velocity steadily decreasing... Nearly at zero...

TYSON

Landing in three... two...

EXT. TWIN TABULA TRENCH: LANDING SITE – DAY

Samus and Tyson successfully land the ship.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT - DAY

Samus gets up and stretches. She powers on her Light Suit, and equips her Arm Cannon.

SAMUS

All right, let's go purge that virus!

Dark Samus-X does the same, enabling her Dark Suit.

DARK SAMUS-X

Yeah, maybe those "Ancient Ones" can answer where it came from in the first place.

Samus leads the way out of the Gunship.

INT/EXT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP – DAY

Samus rides the exit hatch outside. She begins walking toward the southern edge of the island. Dark Samus-X descends onto the island.

SAMUS

Good thing we powered Mount Osiris. The trench looks nice and bright now.

Dark Samus-X looks over. Samus destroys the Frigidite barrier blocking the southern sector with her new Plasma Beam, and then plunges into the ocean.

DARK SAMUS-X

Wait-!

Dark Samus-X groans, and then follows.

FADE TO:

EXT. TWIN TABULA TRENCH: SOUTH – DAY

Samus and her clone stare at the magnificent trio of Cronalian statues.

DARK SAMUS-X

Is this their... graveyard?

Samus scans the statues.

SAMUS

Pluto, Osiris, and Orcus. _(beat)_ Did you ever see a third mountain peak?

DARK SAMUS-X

No. Why...?

The Power Conduit suddenly disables. The algae grow tall and thick, making it difficult for both Samus and her clone to walk. The statues begin to glow, their eyes an angry red.

DARK SAMUS-X

(nervous)

You fought one of these guys before, right...?

SAMUS

(nervous)

Uh-huh...!

Three sculptures of an ancient reptilian race awoke, their bodies forged by the minerals of the ocean floor. Although my clone and I tried to gain more ground, the trio did not give us much ground to cover. I began firing my Ice Beam at their fiery eyes. Dark Samus-X joined in, only for lasers to beam at us from their eyes. The long strands of red came right for us, the Cronalian Statues attempting to liquefy our armour. Immediately, my response was to combine my Ice Beam with missiles to utilize the Charge Combo, the Ice Spreader.

I watched as the Ice flew from my Arm Cannon at a far more rapid rate, leaving an even stronger impact on the leftmost Cronalian's eyes. Instantly, I knew to lasso my Grapple Swing around his foot and wrench the reptilian guardian onto the lakebed. Dark Samus-X promptly caught wind of my idea, following suit with the rightmost ocean mineral beast. The rocky reptilian in the center was the only outlier, and, in response, attempted to intervene in our collapsing of his brethren. The only one without a pink Beam wrapped around one of his legs, the third Cronalian Statue put my clone and I at significant risk. If the laser eyes were to hit us while we yanked the legs of the outermost reptilians, not only would our armour melt, but the active statues could also fall on top of us and kill us. Dark Samus-X and I combined our strengths, attempting to prevent any catastrophe from occurring.

Struggling to lock onto the eyes of the third Cronalian Statue, my clone and I grew increasingly worrisome for our inevitable fates. The statues we lassoed with our Grapple Swings were so incredibly heavy, making us wonder what the Ancient Ones guarded so firmly. Reminded of the war between the Galactic Federation and the Space Pirates that ensued throughout Twin Tabula, it amazed me just how close either of those parties were to finding the tomb of the pre-Chozo race. Through the logbook entries that Dark Samus-X discovered, I learned that the Cronalian were to the Chozo what the Chozo were to me. It perturbed me somewhat to bother the tomb of my surrogate grandparents, but I knew they had answers to many of the questions I pondered for years.

Right at the last moment, mere nanoseconds away from our possible demise, Dark Samus-X managed to deflect both laser eyes from hitting us. Shortly thereafter, the two of us were able to give the outermost Cronalian Statues a final tug, the magnificent force knocking even the third reptilian onto his belly. With barely enough space, my clone and I managed to avoid one of their heads from hitting us. The final rocky reptilians continued their attempts in liquefying our armour until they were without power completely. This, however, was not the end: the lakebed materials that formed their statues began to crack open like a bird's egg. The statues only functioning as shells, it appeared that Dark Samus-X and I had much more battling to do.

I presumed the Cronalian Ghosts were impossible for just about anyone else to defeat, as the two of us were one of the few that wielded Dark and Light. My clone and I predicted the Sunburst and Darkburst combos would be necessary components in annihilating these Cronalian defensive measures. Our most powerful Charge Combos yet had the ability to send any immune foe into oblivion. Much like with the statues, I kept my focus on the leftmost phantom, while Dark Samus-X dealt with the rightmost one. Additionally, we needed to alternate our main line of attack with firing our Ice Beam combos at their laser eyes. Once the Cronalian Ghosts were weak enough, it would be possible for us to use the Grapple Swing to end their levitation.

EXT. TWIN TABULA TRENCH: SOUTH – DAY

Samus and Dark Samus-X pull on the legs of the outermost Cronalian Ghosts, while the center-most Cronalian Ghost attempts to stop them with his laser eyes. Samus and her clone turn to each other, and nod. Combining their Sunburst and Darkburst, respectively, they unleash the most devastating Charge Combo yet: the Sonic Boom. The blast is so terrifying that it causes not only for the defensive measures to go offline, but also for the earth to tear and rip apart.

EXT. TWIN TABULA TRENCH – DAY

The tears and rips of all four compass sectors conjoin at the center of the trench, the convex earth collapsing to create a massive whirlpool and tunnel into the mantle of Twin Tabula.

EXT. TWIN TABULA TRENCH: SOUTH – DAY

Samus and Dark Samus-X hold on tight to each other, the strong current pulling them toward the whirlpool.

EXT. TWIN TABULA TRENCH – DAY

Samus and her clone enter the whirlpool. They try to escape with every bit of energy they have left, but the current is so powerful that all they can do ride the spiralling vortex down into the mantle of the planet.

INT. SAMUS' COMBAT VISOR – DAY

Samus attempts to escape at first, when static replaces the usual display.

EXT. TWIN TABULA TRENCH – DAY

Samus and her clone descend into the mantle of Twin Tabula.

FADE OUT.


	5. Act IV: Intestines

ACT IV: Intestines

Dark Samus-X and I spiralled within the whirlpool into the mantle of Twin Tabula. The interior of the planet reminded me of the Impact Crater, back on Tallon IV, although this place was much larger than the nest of Metroid Prime. When our feet finally touched solid ground, the heat of the mantle forced the whirlpool and flooding water to evaporate. Gazing at the massive hole now above us, the light from FS-176 was farther than before. My clone told me to step aside, discovering a Power Conduit with her Thermal Visor. I placed my hand on the nearby Hand Scanner, and watched as the island above Twin Tabula Trench descended into the mantle.

Despite my Gunship not being large enough to fly between the cavernous walls of red, this now-active Gunship Lift would allow my clone and I to return to the surface as well as resume communications with Tyson.

"Tyson, how are we holding up?"

"We're doing well, ma'am. How's uh...?"

"Sam?"

"Yes."

"You know, I can hear you perfectly well through my Visor. You can just ask me."

"I—"

"She's fine, Tyson. She's just— Sam?" I looked over, but she was no longer there. "Where'd she go?"

"The table map suggests she ventured further south, but now... Now, I can't detect her anywhere. Ma'am, either she purposely disrupted communications between us, or we're dealing with a threat that can get past visible and infrared detection."

"Monitor this area twenty-four seven. If you catch wind of any changes to the environment, or any lifeform detections that randomly appear for only a few nanoseconds, notify me, and I'll head there straight away."

"On it, ma'am."

No clone to talk to or argue with for the time being, it was just Tyson and I now.

Core-X Metroids were plentiful within the mantle. They inhabited the rivers and streams of fiery phlegm that also flowed through the caves of Oormine II. Power Bombs were the simplest means of keeping the Metroids at bay, as they would reproduce constantly from the piping hot fluid. The cavernous walls consisted of a solidified autumn mucus material, while the ground was more of a molten rock material. The mantle of Twin Tabula made me feel as though I was back inside the Parasite King. The partially penetrable walls that could easily stretch and stick to one's fingers was much the same as the Core-X interior of the toxic beast that birthed my clone. Dark Samus-X was in a frightening state of toxicity now, the autumn orange colour now evolved into a slick black. The origins of one such poison had to be this place.

Plasma Demons greeted me as well, in this demonic realm. The Ice Beam, and the Purge Beam and Radiation Shield proved more than sufficient in eradicating the humanoid organisms of the parasite virus. These fiends were difficult to take down, however. Constantly huddling together, encircling themselves around me, and needing my absolute attention, the vampires were aggravating to annihilate. In addition, because of this being their natural habitat, the demons were capable of transforming their shape at will. They could even merge with the malleable walls or river to create an otherworldly form of combat. The Core-X Metroids shared a bond with the Plasma Demons, protecting them from me, the cold and calculating mercenary. The Metroids, in effect, preserved the lives of the demons for much longer than their natural lifespan. In fact, because of such preservation, my killing of them effectively killed their protectors.

Space Pirates were nowhere in sight. Neither Tyson nor I could locate any indications of Pirate activity throughout the mantle. This in turn made me wonder whether I was the first explorer to invade the tomb of my surrogate grandparents. Cronalian Lore lay hidden, interspersed within the depths of this hell. Cryptic messages written in an ancient, now alien tongue weaved their way into the present. As translated by my Scan Visor, the extinct Cronalian knew I would arrive long before I was even born. These visionaries calculated, predicted, and estimated a series of events prior to and during my lifespan. They knew I would lose my parents to Ridley and the Space Pirates, they knew the Chozo and the Galactic Federation would raise me, they knew Mother Brain would destroy planet Zebes, and they knew about Metroid Prime, the leviathan seeds, and even my clone. Although they did not write those words and names verbatim, I understood their meaning nonetheless.

For years, the Chozo remained the greatest mystery in my life. Where were they from? How did they find me? For what reason did they raise me? What were their goals in life? These questions, and so many more, haunted me, tormented me, for years on end. As a child, and as a teenager, I would have nightmares about my upbringing, of the death of my true parents and the sudden adoption by the alien bird species. It confounded me why they would go to such lengths to protect me, raise me, motivate me, and train me.

"Why are you doing all this?" I kept asking them.

Each time, they would give me a vague answer. Maybe they thought I was too young to know the reason, or maybe they knew I would find out on my own.

The Cronalian extrapolated this mystery of both my past and the history of the universe. They raised even more questions, and I could not even begin to comprehend how far back this intergalactic lore went.

"How many negative years old was I, when they created these messages on holo-vision-like screens? What caused such a literate and methodical race to go extinct?"

The deeper I travelled, the more information I consumed, whether of a commentary on a pressing issue they faced or of a prediction of what was to come. Their passages were not chronological; they were bits and pieces of a fragmented monolith, scrambled across every part of the mantle.

EXT/INT. TWIN TABULA: MANTLE TUNNEL B - DAY

Samus enters the proceeding room of the mantle.

INT. TWIN TABULA: MANTLE TUNNEL B - DAY

Samus enters a long, contorted corridor. The walls are snug, barely even able to fit Samus in her armour. The earth suddenly shakes with terrifying force, causing the bounty hunter to tremble in all directions.

SAMUS

(nervous)

Tyson?

TYSON

(V.O.)

Keep going, ma'am! You don't have much time!

SAMUS

Why didn't you tell me there was a fucking volcano down here?

TYSON

(V.O.)

Ma'am, go!

The door behind her seals shut. Samus attempts to run across the crumbling ground of molten rock, the narrow walls forcing her to sidle. She soon discovers that the molten rock on either ends of the corridor are crumbling toward the middle.

INT. SAMUS' COMBAT VISOR - DAY

Samus looks around for a way forward. She eventually finds a Morph Ball tunnel on the wall to her left. She grabs onto the ledge, and rolls herself inside the even more claustrophobic passage.

EXT/INT. TWIN TABULA GUNSHIP LIFT: B3 - DAY

Samus rolls out of the tunnel, switches back to her human shape, and enters a large, octagonal room.

INT. TWIN TABULA GUNSHIP LIFT: B3 - DAY

Samus enters a large, octagonal room. Liquid obsidian flows in from each corner, merging at the center to form Core-X Metroids and a humanoid creature that looks like SA-X. The Metroids huddle around the SA-X monster.

SAMUS

Returning to your children, I see.

The SA-X monster goes to attack Samus with an extended, ooze-dripping arm, only for the bounty hunter to roll away, and then point her Arm Cannon from a safer vantage point.

Seeing this parasite in such an unnatural, tentacle-like shape made me gag. The toxic beast moved around the room unlike any normal organism. It utilized the eight streams of liquid obsidian as a means of transportation, deforming into a fluid at one location, and reforming into the shape of my clone at another. The Core-X Metroids, however, moved much more organically. They antagonized me relentlessly, spawning infinitely from the multiple streams of poison. In actuality, the Metroids were quite helpful. After freezing them with my Ice Beam, I would be able to collect their parasitic matter with my Purge Beam and Radiation Shield, and use that as ammunition to weaken the SA-X monster. Power Beams were also a useful tool in battle, capable of killing several Core-X Metroids and mutilating the toxic beast, with a single explosion.

When utilization of a Power Bomb, particles of poisonous material erupted in all directions. I collected as much as I could, though I was in a hurry, due to the SA-X monster attempting to grab, squeeze, and choke me with its tentacles. The particles of autumn mucus that I did not collect reformed into Core-Xs on their own. My main priority, however, was to stop the gruesome creature's masochistic tendencies from continuing. As such, I felt it necessary to leave behind some of the particles, increasing my rate of fire and my focus toward the true threat in the room. The toxic beast nevertheless reclaimed the Core-Xs in the octagonal chamber, and used them to return to its original form, rather than attempting to defeat me in its incomplete, monstrous form.

The initial phase of this battle did not repeat. Rather, another SA-X monster formed in the center of the room, and then migrated elsewhere, so that yet another monster could form. This continued until four SA-X-looking parasites filled my peripheral vision. These creatures treated me almost as if I was 'it' in a game of tag. They moved constantly around the room, following the octuple streams of liquid obsidian to maintain a nice distance for long-range attacks. My clones utilized their tentacles for most of the battle. Each of them demanded my attention, making it impossible to focus on one at a time. As a result, I ultimately concluded that I would need to use a Power Bomb in the center of the room. It was integral that I timed my Power Bomb usage correctly, as I wanted all four of the SA-X monsters to explode at once. When it finally came to, I unleashed the second detonation of the fight, and watched as the autumn-coloured particles filled the room.

The particles began merging on their own. I tried collecting as much as possible, but my Purge Beam and Radiation Shield could only handle so much. Because of this, the remaining particles transformed into several smaller Core-Xs, and then merged to create a few larger Core-Xs. Before they could merge into a single Mega Core-X, I needed to destroy the parasite as soon as possible.

"But how? My Radiation Shield is full!"

After much thought, it eventually donned on me: the Light Beam. Combining the Light Beam with the Ice Beam allowed me to immobilize the particles from moving and incinerate them a substantial degree. In the meantime, however, I failed to notice the streams of liquid obsidian continued to form additional SA-X monsters.

Ceasing the multiple streams' functions was much more difficult than I predicted it to be. The constant Beam firing from each parasite monster made it incredibly frustrating to focus on the eight infrared Power Nodes along the walls, while using the Ice Beam and Light Beam technique on the SA-X monsters. Only once they were out of my sight could I deal with the octuple currents. Freezing and then incinerating each of the viscous streams caused a Morph Ball slot to activate within the tunnel from which I initially entered. A timer followed suit, indicating I had limited time before the multiple currents would reset. To my delight, interacting with the Morph Ball slot marked the end of the battle.

Entering the boss room once more through the tunnel, a new item resting in the center caught my eye. This new item was the X-Ray Visor. My usual screen suddenly possessed a monochromatic look, which subsequently allowed me to see through the floor and the ceiling. It appeared as though a large hole was beneath me. Combining this with the fact that I could see my Gunship directly above me, I attempted to activate the Gunship Lift above wirelessly. _"Error: Obstruction beneath Gunship Lift"_ appeared on both my Visor and my Arm Cannon's touch screen. After much confusion, and plenty of trial and error, I eventually realized the need to switch to the Thermal Visor. The four Power Nodes were now active. With help from the Light Beam, the molten rock beneath my feet retracted in circular shapes toward the partially solidified wall.

INT. TWIN TABULA GUNSHIP LIFT: B3 - DAY

Samus watches as her Gunship descends toward her, the ceiling replacing the missing floor. She boards her ship.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP – DAY

Samus rides the exit hatch inside her ship. Tyson is just a few feet away from her, watching the table map carefully, much as Samus requested. She puts her Arm Cannon aside on the floor.

SAMUS

Find anything?

Tyson does not answer.

SAMUS

Tyson!

Still no answer.

She walks over, and turns him around to face her.

SAMUS

Tyson, what's wrong-?

A deactivated Tyson collapses onto the floor. The ship powers on, and begins descending deeper into the mantle of Twin Tabula. Samus walks over to the cockpit.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – DAY

Samus enters the cockpit, only to find no one else there. She double-taps her Visor.

INT. SAMUS' COMBAT VISOR – DAY

Activating her monochromatic Visor, Samus discovers THE SILHOUETTED FIGURE OF A CHOZO sitting in the pilot seat. Samus moves her hand toward the silhouette, but does not make direct contact with the invisible presence.

INT. TWIN TABULA GUNSHIP LIFT: B4 - DAY

Samus and the others arrive at the next lowest level of the planet's mantle.

INT. SAMUS' COMBAT VISOR – DAY

The silhouetted figure is no longer in the cockpit. Samus looks down the main corridor of the Gunship, but does not see him or her there either.

INT. TWIN TABULA GUNSHIP LIFT: B4 – DAY

Samus exits her Gunship, Arm Cannon in hand.

Despite its label as an ice giant, Twin Tabula's mantle possessed incredible temperatures. My Visor indicated an astounding three-thousand six-hundred twenty-nine degrees Celsius. The Light and Dark Suits were substantially more durable and resistant to extreme weather than the Varia or Magnet Suits. Exploring such depths in my old armour would be impossible; the metal would all melt from the heat, eventually burning the spandex off my skin, and taking my flesh with it. The heat would force me to take on the appearance of my clone in her weakest form: a skeleton. Thinking of her again made me question what happened to her up above.

"I wonder if they took her..."

Tyson entered my mind. The sight of him deactivated once again made me tremble.

"But what would want from him? What do want from us?"

Never would these thoughts empty my head; they haunted me, tortured me, without end.

A shrine greeted me in the proceeding room. Statues of Chozo were in a variety of poses. This section of the mantle was comparatively less complete than the sections above. My ancestors left behind blueprints of structures and satellites on holo-tablet-like technology. I documented everything, certain that it would serve as more than just a keepsake. Not only was there history of the construction of planets such as Bryyo and Elysia, but there were also a number of blueprints for architecture that the Chozo and Cronalian never even got around to building.

The statues of my surrogate family were not all too happy with my stealing of information. Red beams from of their eyes created a wall of lasers in the room. Only my Morph Ball would be able to fit through the gaps separating each beam. However, my escape through the small tunnel on the far side was much more difficult to reach than I thought it would be. Before long, the Chozo statues began to move, the positioning of the lasers changing constantly. Patience was essential, requiring my need to stay calm and focus. Eventually, I made it through to the other side. Within the Morph Ball tunnel, much like the one directly above me, was a bomb slot. Interacting with it forced the statues to resume their slumber, while additionally unlocking the cavernous entrance into the chamber on the opposite end of the spiralling tunnel.

INT. TWIN TABULA GUNSHIP LIFT: B5 – DAY

Samus enters yet another Egyptian blue-coloured room, the primary hue of this section of the mantle. A pair of electric blue brains light up in the center of the room, and, effectively, allow for someone or something's internal structure to appear translucent. Samus slowly takes a few steps back, soon making contact with the wall behind her.

INT. SAMUS' X-RAY VISOR – DAY

Samus switches on her monochromatic Visor, and discovers the GHOST OF GRAY VOICE approaching her.

Something unlike anything I ever expected to happen happened: the silhouetted figure was in fact my surrogate father, Gray Voice. His DNA quite literally now living in my veins, and the brains of my companions now living in his head, Gray Voice and I were in quite different situations since last we met. However, much like when my clone lacked Tyson's brain, my surrogate father was not all there. The poison of this planet painted his body, the X-Ray Visor fragmenting his figure and separating the dark from the light. Gray Voice was not in the best of conditions, attacking me just as aggressively as my clone once did. I was afraid to fight my surrogate father, though corrupt.

Gray Voice moved around the room similarly to the Chozo Ghosts back on Tallon IV: he hovered and darted around in all directions, attacking me from both near and far. The Power Beam, Light Beam, and Super Missiles were the only weapons that would do any damage; nothing else would hurt him. In addition, the ghost's constant moving around the room made it incredibly difficult to maintain a target. I made it my goal to destroy the parasitic plating from his body, both to relieve him and to see if the lack of sludge would affect our battle in any way.

Accidentally switching to my Thermal Visor, I could not help but notice Power Nodes throughout the room. Activating each of them until the entire Power Conduit was online brightened the room and made the Ghost of Gray Voice visible to the naked eye. The incredible illumination of the room stunned my surrogate father a while, allowing me to incinerate as much of the parasitic plating with my Light Beam until his paralysis ended. When he recovered, Gray Voice growled loudly, and telepathically disrupted communications with the Power Conduit. The electricity in the room needed a while to recover, as did my static-filled X-Ray Visor. In the meantime, our battle of combat and dodging resumed.

With there being much less toxicity on his body, my initial Power Beam and Light Beam methods to weaken the ghost of my surrogate father would be much more successful than the previous time. Although the two of us sprinted around the room at every opportunity, the increase in vulnerability for Gray Voice made it easier to fire several shots of energy to make him scream in pain. The Power Nodes eventually finished recovering. The ghost before me was weaker now. Again, I flooded the room with light, paralyzing my nocturnal foe with the energy that he so heartily hated. Igniting the remaining obsidian off his body, the Ghost of Gray Voice became entirely susceptible to light.

My surrogate father did not go down so easily: he managed to deactivate the Power Conduit completely, before facing his final blow. Instinctively, I switched from my Combat Visor back to my X-Ray Visor; however, Gray Voice was no longer there. Instead, while he scurried elsewhere to recover, multiple Chozo Ghosts came flooding in through the ceiling and the floor. Knowing my Power Beam and Super Missiles to be their only weakness, I engaged them all at once, hoping to find Gray Voice before he came back with full energy. Super Missiles were the quickest way of defeating the annoying Chozo Ghosts.

Soon after the Chozo Ghosts exploded into X-Parasite particles, a trio of Morph Ball bomb slots powered on within the tunnel outside the room. Activating them allowed the floor in the octagonal room to retract along the perimeter wall and allow my Gunship to dive even deeper into the mantle. While wirelessly commanding the Gunship Lift to descend, a toxic tentacle monster attempted to climb up _"Error: Obstruction beneath Gunship Lift"_ greeted me once more. Wanting to prevent the parasite from causing more damage, I changed shape, and followed the Spider Ball track down the gigantic tunnel, minding the Scatter Bombu that electrified the cylindrical, vertical corridor.

INT. TWIN TABULA GUNSHIP LIFT: B6 – DAY

Samus, in Morph Ball form, plummets onto the ground. The familiar, invisible, electric blue-translucent figure stands next to her. The ghostly figure lights up the otherwise dark room with a blue glow. Samus switches out of Morph Ball mode. Samus notices the Ghost of Gray Voice is in incredible pain. She waits a moment before saying anything.

SAMUS

Gray Voice, do you hear me?

No response.

SAMUS

It's me! Samus! Do you remember?

All she hears is breathing.

SAMUS

The little girl you saved from her dying parents and that... that pterodactyl dragon monster? Do you remember any of that-?

GRAY VOICE

These brains... they do not help me so well. Samus, now that I know you're... you're alive and well, I want you to...

SAMUS

What...? What is it?

INT. SAMUS' X-RAY VISOR - DAY

GRAY VOICE

Finish the job.

He looks over with a serious face.

INT. TWIN TABULA GUNSHIP LIFT: B6 – DAY

GRAY VOICE

Take my life, like you originally planned. Free me of this-

SAMUS

What? You want me to-?

GRAY VOICE

Yes! Quickly! Before-

A photon cannon suddenly goes off from somewhere in the darkness, the heavy blast killing the Ghost of Gray Voice in seconds. His dual brains fall onto the ground. A winged, silhouetted beast flies over. Samus, in a hurry, summons her Gunship to fly out of the mantle. Samus now in his clutches, Neo Ridley swoops up toward the surface. He destroys the Gunship platform with his durable armour and incredible speed.

My rival finally revealed himself, after such a long disappearance. I wondered for how long he secluded himself deep inside of Twin Tabula, and how he managed to find his way into the mantle. Perhaps he snuck in when I was busy with something else, or maybe his subordinates finally managed to drill into the ocean floor. Regardless, I needed to deal with the leader of the Space Pirates quickly and efficiently. If my foes did indeed puncture the ocean floor, then who was to say they had their hands busy during this aerial distraction? I could not allow my rival to toy with me furlong; I needed to find some way of disposing him.

Battling Neo Ridley while glued to his massive claw was infuriatingly difficult. Much like our battle back on Norion however many years ago, I retained a target of his other talon until he screamed. My Radiation Shield could come into play once again. With leftovers of parasitic matter from my first battle in the mantle, it would be possible to feed and asphyxiate my rival with an overdose of the toxic substance. Neo Ridley did not enjoy his dinner too much. In response, I fed him a delightful dessert: a Super Missile. The intense explosion caused his intestines to rupture, his blue veins glowing and increasing in size like before.

With confirmation that this strategy would be effective, my use of the Purge Beam and Radiation Shield, and Super Missiles continued, at least for a while, until my Radiation Shield was empty. Of course, despite my successful weakening of Neo Ridley, the possibility of him squeezing or chewing my white, glowing armour frightened me. Any long-lasting direct contact with the inhabitable atmosphere would be fatal. The Blonzak forced me out of my Dark Suit before; I would not let Neo Ridley try the same. As such, with my eyes peeled on the toxic purple beast, my mission remained to annihilate my rival as soon as possible.

Slowly, it donned on me what Neo Ridley's plan was. Focusing so hard, and for so long, on feeding him all of the parasitic matter and Super Missiles I had, I failed to make an earlier note of our flight path. My ears began to pop, the rise in altitude rapidly rising. The stratosphere of Twin Tabula marginally differed from the environments within the mantle. Neo Ridley and I were far above the surface. Still gripped firmly in his clutches, my rival was ready to send me dozens of thousands of metres back down through the Gunship Lift from which we escaped. Nearly reaching the plateau of our flight, I awaited the plummet of doom to begin.

Whenever Neo Ridley would release me, I knew my only option was to summon my ship. There was no way I could die in this flight, having come so far. I decided long ago that Ridley would die by my hand before he could even hope to kill me. There was not a chance in the world that I would let my rival best me. Not after what he did to my parents, and not after he and his Space Pirate subordinates took initiative to decay, deteriorate, and destroy so much of the universe. No, Ridley had to die. If this truly were the moment where he would try to take my life, then I would insinuate the same intention toward him.

Appendage by appendage, I could feel the loosening of my body begin. Neo Ridley's attempt at killing me would commence in mere nanoseconds. I tried not to look at my Arm Cannon for the remainder of the battle, not wanting to make him suspect anything. My plan had to remain a surprise. Although, without the ability to mind-read, it would be impossible to know if he predicted that I also had a plan. In any case, I awaited my release, ready to skydive and catch my ship when the moment struck him. I was ready to prove to Neo Ridley that he would never be able to witness my demise.

EXT. TWIN TABULA – DAY

The Federation star of the galaxy, FS-176, begins to set just beyond the peak of Mount Pluto. Neo Ridley releases his grip of Samus, letting her freefall dozens of thousands of metres from the sky back into the mantle.

INT. SAMUS' COMBAT VISOR – DAY

Samus watches Neo Ridley's face as she falls. Once she feels she is at a safe enough distance from him, she brings her Arm Cannon toward her face, and summons her Gunship.

" _Error: Gunship offline"_ appears on her Visor.

EXT. TWIN TABULA – DAY

Furious, Samus tries calling her ship again. Neo Ridley swoops toward her to raise the stakes.

INT. SAMUS' COMBAT VISOR – DAY

The repeated _"Error: Gunship offline"_ message on her Visor fades away.

Samus immediately takes action, firing Super Missile after Super Missile directly into Neo Ridley's mouth. Just out of the corner of her eye, a pair of military aircraft silhouettes, created by the setting star, fly toward them. THE AIRCRAFT PILOTS begin using their chain guns on Neo Ridley. Samus shields her eyes with her left hand.

INT. GF HELICARRIER: COCKPIT – DAY

The Fleet Admiral watches over the PILOTS of the massive airship and the pair of military aircraft, as they enter the atmosphere of Twin Tabula.

FLEET ADMIRAL

Maintain your target of Ridley! And whatever you do, don't shoot Samus!

AIRCRAFT PILOT 1

(V.O.)

Yes, sir!

EXT. TWIN TABULA – DAY

Neo Ridley, angered by the amount of bullets attempting to penetrate his parasite-plated armour, flies over to each of the aircraft, wanting to put them all out of commission. He roars madly, all while receiving more gunfire.

INT. SAMUS' COMBAT VISOR – DAY

Samus pants, continuing to fall out of the sky.

EXT. GF HELICARRIER – DAY

The back of the Helicarrier opens, where EIGHT ELITE TROOPERS await direct positioning above the Twin Tabula Gunship Lift. Once in position, they take turns leaping out of the airship, initiating a HALO technique.

INT. SAMUS' COMBAT VISOR – DAY

Samus watches Neo Ridley attempt to destroy both of the military aircraft while eight professionally trained soldiers freefall toward her.

INT. GF HELICARRIER: COCKPIT – DAY

The Fleet Admiral, nervous, grips both pilot seats tight. Suddenly, Neo Ridley leaps from one of the military aircraft to the windshield of the Helicarrier. He screams, and attempts to break the window with his talons.

FLEET ADMIRAL

(calmly)

Get him off my ship.

The pilot and co-pilot gulp.

HELICARRIER PILOT

Yes, sir.

EXT. TWIN TABULA – DAY

The pilot and co-pilot power on the photon cannon at the front of the ship, just below the cockpit. Startled, Neo Ridley tries climbing higher, only to slip on the window. In addition, the pair of military aircraft resumed their machine gun firing at the toxic pterodactyl, significantly reducing his chances of succeeding against the Galactic Federation.

INT. SAMUS' COMBAT VISOR – DAY

Samus is almost at the Gunship Lift. The nearest Elite Trooper extends his arm, hoping to reach Samus. She tries using her Grapple Swing on the soldier, only to miss.

EXT TWIN TABULA – DAY

Samus and the nearest GF Trooper gradually loom closer toward each other, each of the soldiers swan diving to reach the fastest speed possible.

Meanwhile, Neo Ridley is finally at his weakest point, no longer able to fight back. His distinctive blue veins begin popping out of his body like tentacles, the parasite within him now taking control of his mind and body. The photon cannon reaches full charge.

INT. GF HELICARRIER: COCKPIT – DAY

The Fleet Admiral calls the shot to kill Ridley for good.

FLEET ADMIRAL

Fire!

EXT. TWIN TABULA – DAY

The photon cannon utterly annihilates both Neo Ridley and the ever-expanding Mega Core-X within him.

INT. SAMUS' COMBAT VISOR – DAY

Samus goes to reach the nearest GF Trooper's hand, when the magnificent light from Neo Ridley's final blow catches her off-guard. Her eyes widen, her heart skips a beat, and, subconsciously, she lets herself fall inside of the Gunship Lift.

INT. TWIN TABULA GUNSHIP LIFT – DAY

The sight of her now-dead rival puts her into shock. The eight Elite Troopers chase after Samus.

EXT. TWIN TABULA – DAY

A dead Neo Ridley plummets toward the others in the ocean.

INT. GF HELICARRIER: COCKPIT – DAY

The Fleet Admiral walks to the edge of the room, watching Neo Ridley fall.

INT. TWIN TABULA GUNSHIP LIFT: B6 – DAY

The eight Elite Troopers parachute their way to solid ground. One of whom catches Samus and holds her in their arms. Slowly but surely, the soldiers land safely. They then enter the dark cave from where Samus encountered her rival. The first Trooper gently lays Samus on the ground.

ELITE TROOPER 2

How is she?

The second Trooper walks over, and looks at Samus' face behind the Visor.

INT. GF HELICARRIER: COCKPIT – DAY

The Fleet Admiral listens in carefully.

ELITE TROOPER 2

(V.O.)

My god... She's gone into shock...!

INT. TWIN TABULA GUNSHIP LIFT: B6 - DAY

Neo Ridley conveniently opens the way to the inverted Mount Orcus when he crashes. The soldiers all turn around, startled by the sound. A few of them approach the destroyed platform and look inside.

ELITE TROOPER 3

Looks like a generator or something...

ELITE TROOPER 4

Yeah, wonder what it's for...

FLEET ADMIRAL

(V.O.)

In the meantime, how about you find the other Samus and those damned brains?

ELITE TROOPER 5

Roger that, sir.

ELITE TROOPER 1

Is it all right if a couple of us stay here with her? _(beat)_ Sir?

FLEET ADMIRAL

(V.O.)

Make sure she doesn't try anything again.

ELITE TROOPER 1

Copy that!

INT. GF HELICARRIER: COCKPIT – DAY

The Fleet Admiral takes a deep breath, and then exits to his quarters aboard the airship.

FADE TO:

While Team Alpha-A stayed behind with Samus, and Team Alpha-B ventured down the hole to the generator, my team headed for the dark cave beyond the Gunship Lift. Immediately, my two teammates and I encountered an inactive photon cannon guarding an ancient fortress. The technology left behind was incredible; a merging of territories marked by both Cronalian Lore and Space Pirate Data.

"Guys, check it out!"

"What?"

'Search for the light within the darkness.  
No one but you can deliver us hope.  
We slumber in waiting.  
Declining in numbers and in strength.

Inspect the infrared waves.  
They lead you all the way to us.  
Stay vigilant of the autumn mucus.  
Lay waste the darkness that lurks behind.

Do not let rivalry frustrate you.  
This war means more than you realize.  
Remember what you must do.  
Beware the other who trails behind.'

"Didn't know the old reptiles were into poetry!"

"There's more over here! Look!

'Alleviate our lungs; allow us to breathe.  
Prove to us that you are our saviour.  
Answer our call; come to us.  
Bring anyone else, and terror will follow.

The poison, it drowns us; our skeletons, fragile.  
The longer you take, the less we will remember.  
Hurry; do not dawdle; time passes so fast.  
The universe will be in ruin, if you decide not to come.

The silhouette should carry you here.  
Your ancestors still live within  
you. With the mountains active, the war  
will begin. Eliminate the Space Pirates,  
and free us.

'Memories flow within us all.  
Good, bad, and what lies in-between.  
Our words may haunt and cause alarm.  
But trust in our words and what we have seen.

Focus on the good. Be peaceful. Be calm.  
You may do as you wish, once your mission is over.  
Surely, you see the distinct ways life blossoms.  
Tranquility may soon be yours.

We hope we have answered your mysterious past.  
Our species wiped out by the liquid obsidian.  
We raised your ancestors that they would raise you.  
The Light you wield will usurp the Dark.

'Under the tar, our mind decays.  
Our bodies freeze  
in unworldly positions. We lose our title of person or creature.  
Farewell to our premonitions.

So many of us die each day.  
Our story, we leave for you to find.  
No one but you will know  
the truth. Our legacy rests with you.

End the Space Pirates, once and for all.  
Leave no trace, no speck of dust.  
Our thousand-year war lies  
in your hands. We place all of our trust  
in you.

'Sanity does not omit control.  
Our friends, our family, are lost to madness.  
We begin to lose sight between illusion and reality.  
Our death, our disorder, ends with sadness.

Frightened, worried,  
forced into our tomb. Your birth  
is still centuries away. By then, we will no longer know who you are.  
We trust that you will come to free us someday.

The black hole consumes perpetually.  
Turned demons, turned monsters, composure now lost.  
The Pirates and poison destroy the world.  
Bring peace to the universe, whatever the cost.'

"Wonder what they all mean..."

"Well," I began, "they spell out Samus' name."

"Where do you see that?"

"Look at the first letter of every poem, in the order we just read."

After a bit of silence, "S... A... M... Oh my god! You're right!"

"So, they're calling her out specifically?" My teammate pondered rhetorically.

"They don't want us or the Space Pirates getting their hands dirty."

"But we're going to?"

"Well, we have to," I replied. "We have a mission to complete. Come on, let's get a move on."

The orange and black phlegm meshed at this junction of the mantle. Combining the two, especially at these coordinates on the planet, allowed for some interesting, rare creatures to come alive. Tiny cameras on our helmets, my crew and I recorded our findings of all these toxic monsters for the researchers to analyze. The sticky ground made it difficult for us to walk. The predators of this habitat used this technique of entrapment to capture their food.

"Good thing all these critters down here are so tiny!"

"Yeah."

Suddenly, the ground, the walls, the weaponry, and the holographic technology all began to shake. The parasitic matter beneath our feet glued us to the ground.

"An earthquake? All the way down here?"

The tremors gradually increased. Growls soon followed.

"I don't think that's an earthquake!" One of my teammates nervously responded.

The three of us all tried lifting our feet off the ground, but to no avail; the sludge failed to peel off the outsoles of our boots. Before we knew it, a pack of those vile, malformed blood-sucking demons headed straight for us. My teammates and I brought out our heavy artillery in synchronicity.

"Let's show these fuckers what the Federation Force is made of!"

"Roger that, Captain!"

The Fleet Admiral made sure his toughest soldiers brought a variety of firearms with them, ranging from electroshock weapons to machine guns. The three of us pointed our double-barrel shotguns at the three Blonzak running straight for us, and began firing directly at their heads. However, we only managed to raid their parasitic flesh three times, before they leaped and tackled us onto the toxic tarp.

Luckily, our many years of combat training was useful, capable of keeping the demons' shark-like teeth a fair distance away from our helmets. It was incredibly challenging for all three of us to wrestle the terrifying disproportionate heads of the Blonzak. My personal goal was to loosen at least one foot, so that I could smash open one of the beast's intestines with the front of my metal boot. Although it was extremely difficult, I was eventually able to pull it off, gluing the side of a Blonzak's body to the slimy floor.

While struggling to get up, the demon now to my left attempted to amputate my arm. Instinctively, I grabbed my handgun and shot the beast, while dancing my way back into an upright position. It only took eight bullets to the head for my foe to perish. Once on my feet, I could then assist my teammates in obliterating the other Blonzak. These demons were relentless, able to withstand far more pain than any ordinary human could. The Core-Xs that shaped their bodies allowed the Blonzak to survive in such extreme environments. As one of the three captains of the Federation Force, it was my duty to protect my fellow soldiers and aid them as necessary. The nature of the Blonzak frightened me, for I knew in my heart that what we would face next would be far worse.

As soon as all three Blonzak were dead, my crew and I resumed our exploration of the expansive, dark cave. However, not long after our first scare, we already had another worry on our hands.

"Weird, where'd that trail of blood come from?"

"Maybe those Blonzak had a big feast before they came here..."

"I don't think so. They wouldn't have looked for more food, if that were the case."

"Then, whose blood is it?"

We each took turns examining our body for any penetrations through our armour.

"Not mine."

"Not mine, either."

Silence followed, for a brief while.

"Uh, you might wanna check your ankle," I suggested to one of my crewmates.

"My ankle...?"

"Everyone doing okay?" The captain of Team Alpha-B responded through our headsets.

"We're doing fine," my injured teammate jumped in. He then turned to face my teammate and I. "We're wasting too much time, standing here. We keep going, all three of us."

We nodded, and led the way forward.

Our Thermal Visors came in handy, the infrared thermography illuminating life within the sombre mantle. Together, my crew and I were able to capture imagery of the environment and the organisms that lived within it. Of course, while gathering information interested us, our objective of finding both Dark Samus-X and the two brains remained. Nobody in the Federation Force knew where to look; we simply went on the hunch that they were somewhere deep in the mantle. Suddenly, indistinguishable screeches came from all directions. All three of us carefully monitored the area, assault rifles in hand.

The ground shook once more, though we did not suspect the Blonzak would make a comeback. The black and orange-painted molten rock began to glow.

"How are we doing over there?" I asked the captain of Team Alpha-B.

"Not too good! The reptiles don't like that we're toying around with their generator!"

"They wrote poetry," my injured teammate grumbled.

"They— What?"

"They don't want us messing with their resting place. They only want Samus down here."

"But—"

"Deal with whatever fucking defense measures those damned reptiles created," the Fleet Admiral exclaimed. "Samus can join when she's ready."

"I'm ready, Admiral."

My teammates and I all looked at each other in disbelief.

"You sure you can handle all this?" The Team Alpha-B captain questioned.

"I said I was ready, didn't I?"

The Federation Force misinterpreted my strength. The death of Ridley evoked a terrifying yet satisfied feeling, something I never felt before in my life. Both my sister and a pair of intelligent brains were out there somewhere, and the Federation was eager to confiscate them any moment. I dealt with Mount Orcus first. The possibility of us drowning from a catastrophic obsidian flood was something I was more than ready to prevent.

Jumping into the inverted mountain where Neo Ridley lay dead, I knew what my current objective would entail, as evidenced by the previous satellites of Twin Tabula. A spiralling path, though presently disjointed, would bring me to the heart of the generator and the lowest Arm Cannon slot. It was my duty to energize each of the slots, from the highest point to the lowest point, before the core of the planet would explode its magma-enriched toxicity and initiate a major flood in the mantle. The jump all the way down was far too deep, forcing me to extend my trip.

The extreme situation forced my pulse and breath to race. I put everyone's lives on the line, simply by attempting to deactivate the Cronalian defensive measures via the generator.

"These satellites have to be here for some reason. But for what?" I thought to myself, as I crossed the Spider Ball track.

The colours of a fiery sunset filled my vision, the toxic eruption soon beginning. More of the spiralling path connected, as I powered each Arm Cannon slot with my Light Beam. The trials of each section were surprisingly more challenging, now reversed; in particular, the need to Screw Attack downward, rather than the usual upward climb. My nervousness worsened, the longer this objective continued. I was no longer the only person in danger; there were eight people in the mantle with me, and all far away from the surface.

I could feel the eruption wanting to begin, the moment I placed my Arm Cannon in the final slot. My entire body carried an incredible amount of weight, growing heavier until the last moment. Only once the generator received its maximum capacity of energy could I release all of the tension in my body and breathe. The core of the planet, once made of rock and ice, opened to reveal that the parasite evolved into a Mega Core-X.

"That only makes things worse!"

I then noticed something beyond what I ever expected: Dark Samus-X rested in the fetal position inside of the Core-X, similar to the conclusion of my battle against the Parasite King. The only major difference being that my sister now wielded both intelligent brains inside of her toxic skull. Moreover, it appeared the toxic core destroyed the Dark Suit, allowing the parasitic matter within her to evolve even further. I could not help but stare at my unconscious clone inside of that Mega Core-X. A million ideas filled my head, but only one seemed reasonable.

INT. MOUNT ORCUS: SUMMIT – NIGHT

Samus points her Arm Cannon at the Mega Core-X in front of her. Her heart beats audibly again. She cautiously switches the tip of her Arm Cannon to missile mode, and then takes a deep breath.

INT. TWIN TABULA: UNDERGROUND CRONALIAN FORTRESS - NIGHT

The trio of Cronalian Ghosts, Pluto, Osiris, and Orcus, incinerate and amputate five of the soldiers. The three soldiers that remain are not in the best of conditions, either. They slowly step away, ready to run back to safety. When they start running away from the Cronalian Ghosts, the phantoms char and destroy the ground with their laser eyes. The molten rock heats up and liquefies into a toxic magma, the molasses melting off the metal of the soldiers' boots.

INT. GF HELICARRIER: FLEET ADMIRAL'S QUARTERS – NIGHT

The Fleet Admiral listens to the cries of his soldiers, his nerves on edge. The co-pilot intervenes.

CO-PILOT

Admiral, sir? You might want to see this.

The Fleet Admiral follows him.

INT. GF HELICARRIER: COCKPIT – NIGHT

The pilots and Fleet Admiral note the beacons of light shooting into the sky from Mounts Pluto, Osiris, and Orcus.

FLEET ADMIRAL

The hell's going on now?

INT. MOUNT ORCUS: SUMMIT – NIGHT

Samus penetrates the Mega Core-X with a fifth and final Super Missile. The shell shatters, and unleashes both the PATRIARCH PLASMA DEMON and the fiery phlegm that surrounds her. Several PLASMA DEMONS form from within the toxic mixture. Samus boosts into the now-active kinetic orb cannon, the ancient technology protecting her from the eruption. After energizing the cannon, Samus launches herself straight into the sky. The Patriarch Plasma Demon and its kin race after her, the gust of wind from the eruption guiding their flight path.

INT. GF HELICARRIER: COCKPIT – NIGHT

The Fleet Admiral, the pilot, and the co-pilot watch as Samus launches herself straight into the sky, the Patriarch Plasma Demon and its kin racing after her.

EXT. TWIN TABULA – NIGHT

A wormhole forms at the center of the three beacons of light. Samus and the demons enter.

INT. GF HELICARRIER: COCKPIT – NIGHT

The Fleet Admiral notices the Patriarch Plasma Demon glowing electric blue, its skeleton appearing translucent.

FLEET ADMIRAL

Fly after 'em...

PILOT

But-

FLEET ADMIRAL

Do it!

They begin their ascent into the wormhole.

FADE TO:

EXT. ZEBES: CHOZO SANCTUARY A – DAY

Gray Voice and a young Samus arrive on an alien spacecraft. They disembark together, though Samus is unwilling.

SAMUS

I don't understand why I have to come with you!

GRAY VOICE

You will!

SAMUS

When?

Silence.

SAMUS

Couldn't you have just left me there-?

GRAY VOICE

And let you die? No, absolutely not.

SAMUS

But why not just take me somewhere on Earth? Why come all the way out to this galaxy, to this planet?

Silence.

Gray Voice leads Samus to OLD BIRD.

OLD BIRD

Hello, little human.

SAMUS

I have a name, you know?

Old Bird smiles, and pulls Gray Voice aside.

OLD BIRD

You brought a human to our sanctuary?

GRAY VOICE

I fail to see the problem here.

OLD BIRD

What if she runs off and tells-?

GRAY VOICE

She has no one else.

OLD BIRD

Her parents?

GRAY VOICE

No one.

OLD BIRD

But how so? _(beat)_ Don't tell me...

Gray Voice nods.

OLD BIRD

Damn Space Pirates... Why did they-? _(beat, to Samus)_ My goodness, it's you, isn't it?

SAMUS

What?

Old Bird crouches, and gives her a hug.

OLD BIRD

Oh, child... I'm terribly sorry...

Samus awkwardly hugs him back.

OLD BIRD

Are you hungry?

Samus nods. Old Bird stands back up. He tries to smile.

OLD BIRD

Dinner should be ready soon.

He pets Samus' head, and walks over to the kitchen.

FADE TO:

INT. ZEBES: CHOZO SANCTUARY A – DAY

Old Bird and Gray Voice watch over a sick Samus in bed.

GRAY VOICE

Still not used to this environment, huh?

OLD BIRD

(to Gray Voice)

Perhaps it's best if proceed with what we talked about.

SAMUS

W-What?

GRAY VOICE

You want me to do it...?

OLD BIRD

(pats his shoulder)

You found her, my son. Now, go take her under your wing.

Gray Voice gulps.

SAMUS

What's going on?

Gray Voice kneels in front of her.

GRAY VOICE

Samus, how would you like it if I became your new father?

SAMUS

A new father...?

OLD BIRD

You've been living here a while. Don't you think it's time?

SAMUS

I don't know...

Gray Voice puts his hand on Samus' shoulder, and smiles. Samus stares at him.

FADE TO:

INT. ZEBES: CHOZO SANCTUARY B – DAY

Old Bird brings a teenage Samus into a secret cave, where the Power Suit awaits.

SAMUS

What's this?

OLD BIRD

Gray Voice wanted to give it to you before you left.

SAMUS

That traitor?

OLD BIRD

Please, Samus. He meant well with this gift. He made it himself.

SAMUS

I never want anything to do with him! You think I'm just gonna forgive him, after he let the Space Pirates invade our planet?

OLD BIRD

Take the suit, child.

SAMUS

No! Taking it is just gonna bring back bad memories!

OLD BIRD

He loved you, Samus!

SAMUS

No, he didn't! He lied to us all! He pretended to-

OLD BIRD

If not from him, take the gift from me...

SAMUS

No.

Samus goes to exit the cave. A dying Old Bird coughs under his breath to fetch her.

OLD BIRD

He gave you-

Samus rushes over, and lays him on the ground to relax.

SAMUS

You're not saying goodbye already, are you?

OLD BIRD

Believe me... The Chozo are much older than even your great-grandparents...

Samus holds his talon.

OLD BIRD

Samus... Please... Take the Power Suit...

SAMUS

But-!

OLD BIRD

Gray Voice never betrayed us...

SAMUS

What are you talking about? He-

OLD BIRD

He's betraying the Pirates.

SAMUS

Betraying the- But that makes no sense!

OLD BIRD

He wants you to take the armour and make a name for yourself...

SAMUS

Make a name for myself? But how's that-? _(notices Old Bird beginning to slip away)_ Hey, hey! Old Bird! Just stay with me a second longer!

He grips her hand tight.

OLD BIRD

He gave you... his blood...

Slowly, Old Bird loses consciousness. Samus' eyes begin to water. She puts her head down on his chest, and cries. Samus wipes her tears, a while later. She closes Old Bird's eyes, and then walks over to the large chest. Inside, she finds gloves that fit her young hands, and a spandex Zero Suit and metal Power Suit to wear when she is older and bigger. Samus puts on the Power Gloves, and admires the technology within.

FADE TO:

EXT. SPACE PIRATE HEADQUARTERS / SPX-001: LANDING BAY – NIGHT

Samus, the Patriarch Plasma Demon, and the four Plasma Demons land on the mobile Pirate Island in the far reaches of space. The bounty hunter watches the GF Helicarrier land between her and the demons. Her foes try to attack her, only for the Galactic Federation to intervene. Similar to the battle against Neo Ridley, the leading pair of military aircraft use their chain guns to weaken the demons. Samus climbs aboard the massive airship, while the Federation deals with the parasite monsters. Samus takes the opportunity to recover and restock directly from her docked Gunship. After powering on her ship, she rides the exit hatch inside.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP – NIGHT

Samus rides the exit hatch inside her ship. A collapsed, deactivated Tyson is still on the ground in the observatory. The bounty hunter heads to the Weapons Repair room.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: WEAPONS REPAIR ROOM – NIGHT

Samus enters. She walks over to the Ship Missile storage, kneels in front of it, and opens it.

SAMUS

If Sam can put a Ship Flamethrower together, then there's no reason why I can't put together a Ship Sunburst.

Samus uses the holographic touchscreen on the side of her Arm Cannon to open it. She cycles through each of the Beam cylinders until she finds the Light Beam one.

INT. SAMUS' COMBAT VISOR – NIGHT

Samus disconnects the half-white, half-transparent cylinder from her Arm Cannon. "Light Beam offline" appears on-screen. She inserts the cylinder into the Ship Missile slot that would fit such a device. Once connected, she closes the vertical drawer, closes her Arm Cannon, and then exits the room.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – NIGHT

Samus enters. She sets her Arm Cannon aside, and disables her Light Suit. Sitting in the pilot seat in her Zero Suit, Samus begins engagement of the various Plasma Demons. _"Ship Sunburst online"_ appears on the Gunship Visor.

Lifting off to get a better vantage point, I quickly realized how great an idea it was that I stayed in my ship. Amidst the terrifying power of the Patriarch Plasma Demon and the excessive gunfire from the multiple aircraft, my chance of survival on-foot for this fight would be incredibly low. While both the chain guns and photon cannon were helpful in battle, particularly against the smaller Plasma Demons, my foes would not weaken as quickly without my use of the Ship Sunburst. After using it for the first time, I discovered how necessary it was that I fought with my Gunship; what would kill a normal-sized parasite in an instant, the Ship Sunburst only damaged the Patriarch by a fraction.

Somehow creating an Arm Cannon of sorts from her parasitic body, the Patriarch Plasma Demon began attacking only me. In response, I manoeuvred around the battlefield, dodging her Ship Missile-size attacks. Whenever she would charge her weapon, she could even release something akin to a Ship Darkburst. The Patriarch's Arm Cannon fired pure Dark energy, when not combining it with missiles. My foe was not happy that the Federation kept interrupting our battle. As if putting our battle on hold, she turned to the military aircraft, and destroyed them in seconds.

The remaining aircraft aboard the Helicarrier, the pilots likely frightened by the Patriarch's power, flew elsewhere along the massive Pirate Island to signal the commencement of war. For as long as the Galactic Federation existed, their primary objective was to find the primary base of the Space Pirates and annihilate them for good. When I was younger, nearing the completion of my first year of training, I overheard the Fleet Admiral and Aurora Unit 149 talk about how I would be a necessary component in the success of such a mission. This recollection lent a nice boost of confidence amidst the chaos. The Federation and I could finally take on the mobile Pirate fortress that we longed to find. Thinking back to the lore throughout Twin Tabula, the Cronalian wanted the Space Pirates to go extinct, too. The ancient reptilians guided us here to finish their mission.

The agile Patriarch Plasma Demon was powerful, both on land and in the air. The massive beast even attempted to break through the windshield of my Gunship, similar to Ridley. I coiled my electrifying Ship Grapple around her massive tail, and played a game of tug-o-war. I tried to fire a close-range Ship Sunburst at the belly of the beast, but she made it much more difficult than it needed to be. The Patriarch tried using her massive claws, scratching and denting my windshield. My Gunship Visor disliked this, static soon filling my peripheral vision.

The static did not last long, however, as the massive beast shattered my windshield with a head-butt. The sudden gusts of wind and the open-air of outer space made my eyes widen in fear. Hurriedly, I activated my Light Suit and put on my Arm Cannon, before the lack of oxygen would expand the shape of my body and destroy my lungs. A full storage of missiles at the ready, I initiated a close-combat assault against the Patriarch using only the Sunburst combo. The Patriarch Plasma Demon attempted to raid my ship, but her large size and stature would destroy everything in my home. The Sunburst was useful in sending her backward.

After plenty of struggling to get the Patriarch Plasma Demon off my ship, I could resume use of the Ship Sunburst. Although the windshield and Gunship Visor were out of commission, my Command Visor was still available to me, a feature I always had within my helmet. My corrupted clone was weak; yet, despite of this, she managed to avoid much of my weapon fire. Determination to succeed still fueled her. The toxicity across her body was akin to what the Federation Force discovered in the Underground Cronalian Fortress: a combination of the liquid obsidian and baking chocolate-magma substances. This combination was prevalent at the Space Pirate base, too, the viscous fluid dripping off the edges of the island similar to the FS-176 space station.

EXT. SPX-001: LANDING BAY – NIGHT

Samus fires one final Ship Sunburst, incinerating the remaining parasites off her clone's skeleton. Dark Samus-X faints. Samus picks up her sister with the Ship Grapple, and lands the Gunship aboard the Helicarrier.

INT. GF HELICARRIER: ICU – NIGHT

Samus carries her clone into one of the recovery rooms. One of the nurses chases after, when noticing.

NURSE 1

Excuse me! You can't just walk into-!

The nurse sees Dark Samus-X's condition.

NURSE 1

My god...!

SAMUS

How much?

NURSE 1

What?

SAMUS

How much do you need to save her?

NURSE 1

I... I couldn't say...! I'd need to examine her first!

SAMUS

Good. Do it. I'll be here.

Samus deactivates her Light Suit, sits in the chair next to the bed, and brings out her vacuum flask of coffee. The nurse looks awkwardly at her, and then begins examining Dark Samus-X.

FADE TO:

INT. GF HELICARRIER: ICU – NIGHT

The nurse returns to the recovery room, and notices drowsy Samus.

NURSE 1

Samus? _(beat)_ Samus?

Samus tries to stay awake.

NURSE 1

The doctor's not going to have the results ready until the morning. You should get some rest.

SAMUS

(mumbling)

I'm staying right here...!

NURSE 1

You'd be much better off in a bed.

SAMUS

I'm not leaving her...! Goodnight...!

The nurse sighs, and then exits. Samus falls asleep, her head collapsing into her chest.

INT. GF HELICARRIER: ICU – DAY

The doctor tries to wake Samus.

DOCTOR 1

Samus? _(beat)_ Samus, time to wake up!

Samus grumbles, slowly awakening from her slumber. She rubs her eyes.

SAMUS

What time is it...?

DOCTOR 1

Terribly early, I'm afraid.

SAMUS

So? How much is it gonna cost?

The doctor sighs.

DOCTOR 1

Samus, it would be unwise to proceed with what you want us to do.

SAMUS

What are you saying?

DOCTOR 1

I'm saying, if we go through with this, Sam's not going to wake up for years!

SAMUS

Years?

DOCTOR 1

No system in her body works. Not her neural system, not her cardiovascular system. None of it.

SAMUS

So, her body just... naturally shut down.

DOCTOR 1

Exactly. And it's unlikely it'll start up again-

SAMUS

Unless you extract every remnant of parasitic matter.

DOCTOR 1

Which isn't an easy process, by any means.

SAMUS

So, what you're saying is...?

The doctor nods.

DOCTOR 1

Take your time. Let the nurses know when you're ready.

The doctor tries to smile, and then exits. Samus gets up, once he leaves, and stares at her clone, holding her hand.

FADE OUT.


	6. Act V: Extraction

ACT V: Extraction

FADE IN.

EXT. GF HEADQUARTERS: BURIAL SITE – DAY

Teenage Samus walks over to the tombstones of her parents. Two GF Troopers guard the entrance.

DARBY

(V.O.)

Good evening! People across the globe are in shock, following the events on planet Zebes earlier today. The massive explosion of the planet brought many questions, none of which the Galactic Federation choose to answer.

Samus crouches in front of her parents' graves. She puts her head down for a moment. Tears escape Samus' eyes.

INT. GF HEADQUARTERS: SAMUS' BEDROOM – NIGHT

Teenage Samus stares at the holographic photo album in her hands. Her tears continue to fall. She wipes her eyes and the screen with her sleeve.

FADE TO:

INT. ZEBES: CHOZO CAVE A – NIGHT

Samus remembers Gray Voice bringing her to meet Old Bird.

TYSON

(V.O.)

Ma'am?

FADE TO:

INT. ZEBES: CHOZO CAVE B – NIGHT

Samus remembers a dying Old Bird revealing the Power Suit to her, and their argument.

TYSON

(V.O.)

Ma'am, we have a visitor.

FADE TO:

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: BEDROOM – DAY

Samus lies asleep in bed. Tyson tries waking her up. The Fleet Admiral stands next to him. The bounty hunter groans.

SAMUS

What do you want, Tyson? Let me sleep...

Samus rolls over. The Fleet Admiral clears his throat.

FLEET ADMIRAL

Good morning, Samus!

Samus immediately rolls back over. Her eyes widen.

SAMUS

Morning, sir!

FLEET ADMIRAL

Can't have my best soldier sleeping on the job! _(beat)_ I fixed up Tyson for ya. Good as new!

SAMUS

Admiral?

FLEET ADMIRAL

It's no problem. Go out there and kick some ass.

The Admiral smiles, and then tosses over her Arm Cannon

TYSON

Ready to go, ma'am.

SAMUS

And the Gunship?

TYSON

Polished, repaired, and loaded as well.

Samus gets out of bed, and switches into her Zero Suit. She begins to exit the bedroom.

TYSON

Ma'am?

Samus stops at the door, and looks over.

TYSON

Are you, uh... doing okay, after the whole-

Samus ignores him, exiting.

EXT. GF HELICARRIER: DOCK – DAY

Samus and Tyson ride the exit hatch down, the bounty hunter now wearing her Light Suit and Arm Cannon.

TYSON

If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine, but-

SAMUS

I don't want to talk about it!

Samus continues walking.

Tyson stares at her from the exit hatch.

DOCTOR 1

(V.O.)

Miss Aran, I'm gonna need an answer.

FADE TO:

INT. GF HELICARRIER: ICU – DAY

The doctor and nurse from earlier try to get her attention.

NURSE 1

Samus?

Samus tries not to show that she is crying. She takes Dark Samus-X's hand, and holds it a while. The Fleet Admiral enters shortly thereafter. He hugs Samus, and caresses the back of her head.

SAMUS

I'm sorry...

FLEET ADMIRAL

What for?

SAMUS

I shouldn't be crying like this...

FLEET ADMIRAL

Everyone cries. That's how we know we're human.

Samus sniffles, and wipes her tears. She releases herself from the Fleet Admiral's grasp.

NURSE 1

So? What's it gonna be, Samus?

Samus looks over at Dark Samus-X. She takes a deep breath, and then nods solemnly. She watches as the doctor and nurse wheel Dark Samus-X out of the room. The Fleet Admiral pats Samus on the shoulder, and then gives her a one-armed hug.

FADE TO:

EXT. GF HELICARRIER: DECK – DAY

Samus, upset, continues walking away from Tyson.

The weight of the loss of my sister was far greater than I ever imagined. My focus kept drifting away from the battle. The emotions within me, I used to kill any and every Space Pirate in my way. As I wandered around SPX-001, killing dozens of peons, the sight of Pirates using the parasite as a means to help boost their strength made my heart beat faster and my breath heavier. The Space Pirate heads relied much less on the inferior Troopers in this war, only using them for diversions. Rather, the monstrous force combatted us with Elite Pirates and various other familiar brutes infused with the X-Parasite.

What started as an experiment through Tyson's brain and the Parasite King, the Space Pirates now had an armada of toxic humanoids. In my reading of newfound Space Pirate Data, my suspicions that the demons were parasitic creations increased in merit. SA-X would have been their strongest demon of all. Were she not someone that mattered so much to me, the Patriarch Plasma Demon absolutely could have defeated the Federation without even breaking a sweat. However, now that both she and Ridley were dead, the Space Pirates stood no chance against the Federation and me.

Neither Tyson nor the Federation knew of my secret plan to eliminate the enemy forever. When the doctor and nurse back at ICU left me alone with my clone, I took the Dark Beam from her, and hid it in my cleavage. Tyson had no idea that I already inserted the half-black, half-transparent cylinder to the Ship Missile attachment slot. The Fleet Admiral divided his soldiers accordingly. He deployed chain gun-armed aircraft to the far ends of SPX-001, built a stronghold of brutes along the perimeter of the Helicarrier, and sent standard GF Troopers, Combat Troopers, and Demolition Troopers directly onto the battlefield. Turrets and defense towers attempted to destroy the various aircraft flying in the sky. The Demolition Troopers decided to detonate each of the Pirates' defenses.

Tyson, however, helped the Demolition Troopers via the Gunship. A sequence of heavy weapon fire created a massive explosion, the first defense tower collapsing.

"That's one down!" One of the Demolition Troopers shouted through the communications feature of my helmet.

"All right! Next tower! Let's move!"

My squad and I looked up, noticing an approaching aircraft deploying a series of bombs toward the trio of Elite Pirates attacking us. Everyone within radius leaped as far away as they could, letting the explosives do their work.

"Go, go, go!"

The tree gargantuan Pirates disassembled and destroyed, my team and I busted our way inside the nearest interior section of SPX-001. The inside was a mess: the familiar autumn mucus flooded the Quarantine Chamber. Stasis tanks once containing some of the most wretched species in the universe were empty. There was shattered glass everywhere. Screeches of Metroids caught my attention, likely investigating the rest of the colossal warship. Then, as I began walking down the hall, the sight of disfigured corpses and carcasses lying on the floor similar to those I discovered on the ocean floor of Twin Tabula caught my attention.

"You got a plan, Samus?"

"Tyson, do you copy?" I consulted with my robot companion instead.

"Loud and clear, ma'am."

"Look for any weaknesses along the roof. I can't target anything or anyone with Ship Missiles until you can fly the ship in here."

"Ma'am—"

"All right," I said, returning my attention to my crewmates, "We have some Blonzak to kill. Let's move!"

The Space Pirates were in much larger numbers on the surface.

"Admiral, those Troopers you're holding onto might be useful up there. We're not dealing with that many down here."

"Roger that, Samus," he replied, "Team Bravo, you're up!"

The hum of various technologies running and the murmurs of Metroids and other species were far more eerie than the sounds of war up above. SPX-001 was not in the best of conditions from the inside. The fluorescent lights flickered constantly. Disembodied body parts gyrated in every direction the warship travelled. My crew and I were careful not to step on anything, not wanting to recreate the mural of blood and guts produced by SA-X's monstrosity. What surprised me most was the terrifying teamwork of the Blonzak and Metroids: even Elite Pirates lay disembodied, eyes gouged, with their black, slimy, serpent-like intestines moving in the water.

Centuries-old Space Pirate Data reported the successful extinction of the Cronalian race, and the Pirates' plan to utilize their bodies.

'Our new beginning is here. Twin Tabula is ours. Today marks the day that we begin our takeover. Our hunt for the perfect serum can now resume. The Cronalian are a much different species from the others; their bodies will stay warm for much longer. I hope that in time, we will be able to build the world that should exist. Whoever the Chozo and 13576 are, terminate them.'

These were the words of former Space Pirate Leader Ridley. It was clear as day to me what his life achievement was. Once more, the joy of his demise filled my head. I hoped he saw his entire plan crumble as he died.

"Hey, you all right?" One of the Marines patted by back.

My helmet concealed the incredibly sadistic smile on my face. I had to compose myself before I could respond. I nodded.

The sounds of Metroids and Blonzak increased we travelled. My crew and I were on high alert, pointing our weapons in every direction. I continued to lead us, wanting to keep making progress.

"Tyson, how are we doing? You find that weak spot yet?"

"Er, I'm kind of in the middle of something, ma'am!"

I could hear intense gunfire and the deep growls of a burly Space Pirate. "Just make sure not to deplete my Ship Darkburst ammo."

"Your what?"

A few blips popped up on my radar.

INT. SPX-001: B3 CORRIDOR – DAY

Samus turns around to face her fellow soldiers. She disperses pairs in every direction save for one.

INT. SPX-001: PARASITE CHAMBER – DAY

Samus enters an enormous room. A dormant Parasite King rests within a stasis tank. Several Core-X Metroids surround him. Above the tank, almost forming a halo, float several parasitic embryos in different stages of life. Every inhabitant is in the process of transformation, from a Cronalian to a Blonzak.

Somehow, the Space Pirates discovered how to preserve and prolong the Cronalians' death. Each monster rested in the fetal position, the Core-X shells securing them as they hovered along the open ceiling. Whenever a Blonzak reached its completed transformation, it would slide out from its amniotic sac and land on its feet like a cat. Meanwhile, the Parasite King and several Core-X Metroids begged for my attention. Power Bombs did the trick for the most part, until the massive beast in the middle of the room would birth another dozen Metroids from his constant embryo-producing body.

Core-X Metroids were not real Metroids. Although they looked and sounded like them, every part of their body was parasitic matter. According to Space Pirate Data, the Pirates conjured up the perfect recipe to mass-produce toxic Metroid-looking creatures to help eradicate lifeforms they felt should not exist. The jellyfish-like creatures were far more aggressive than their organic counterparts were. It was difficult to predict at what angle they would attack me. With the repeated births of Core-X Metroids and Blonzak, it became extremely difficult to focus on the Parasite King as a sole target. My aim was to unleash a Sonic Boom on him, but until Tyson could find his way into the chamber with the Gunship, the Light Beam was my only weapon that could weaken him. Likewise, the same weapon worked wonders on the Blonzak, the most corrupt species in the room. The Parasite King and Core-X Metroids possessed the fiery phlegm texture, while the Blonzak bore the obsidian texture. In this case, the Light Beam would have a stronger effect on the vampire hounds than on the gargantuan.

This Parasite King possessed an electric blue-glowing brain as well. The Pirates likely created duplicates to develop their species' level of corruption further. None of the Blonzak around me glowed, however. I wondered if there might be others beneath me: smarter blood-sucking demons with the ability to convey speech and emotions like my clone could. This thought made me question whether there might be something along the lines of a Patriarch Blonzak somewhere aboard the massive warship.

The Blonzak emerged from their amniotic sacs at a much faster rate than before. Handling them one at a time was manageable, but not three or six. It was enough that I had Metroids to deal with, not to mention the disgusting giant constantly regurgitating autumn mucus my way. Perhaps the rapid birthing had to do with the tremors from above. Those tremors increased in scale over time.

"Tyson?"

"Be right there, ma'am! Demolition Troopers making their way down."

The use of Sunbursts toward my foes was incredibly useful, allowing me to annihilate a Blonzak in a single blast. I was careful not to overuse this tactic; I wanted to hold onto enough ammunition for the finale. Eventually, after killing multiple Blonzak and bringing down the Parasite King to near-death, an explosion ensued along the ceiling. The GF and Combat Troopers I dispersed were at the ready, the former firing from above and the latter jumping down to attack the remaining Blonzak head-on. Tyson began lowering the Gunship, the prehensile Ship Grapple extending toward me.

INT. SPX-001: PARASITE CHAMBER – DAY

Samus connects her Grapple Beam with the Ship Grapple, riding her Gunship as far away from the Parasite Chamber as possible. She targets the center of the room with her Arm Cannon, ready to unleash the second Sonic Boom of the adventure.

INT. SAMUS' COMBAT VISOR – DAY

Samus gets ready to count down.

SAMUS

On my count...

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – DAY

Tyson gets ready to fire a Ship Darkburst. Samus charges her Light Beam.

SAMUS

One...

INT/EXT: SPX-001 – DAY

GF and Combat Troopers race for the exit, evacuating to avoid the cataclysmic blast. Samus continues to charge her Light Beam.

SAMUS

Two...

INT. SAMUS' COMBAT VISOR – DAY

Samus completes the count down.

SAMUS

Three!

EXT/INT. SPX-001: PARASITE CHAMBER – DAY

Samus' Sunburst in combination with Tyson's Ship Darkburst unleashes an even more terrifying Sonic Boom than the one created with Dark Samus-X to enter the mantle of Twin Tabula.

INT. SPX-001: B3 CORRIDOR – DAY

Everything collapses and shatters in an instant.

INT. SPX-001: B2 CORRIDOR – DAY

Everything collapses and shatters in an instant.

EXT. SPX-001 – DAY

Everything collapses and shatters in an instant. Many soldiers die.

INT. GF HELICARRIER: FLEET ADMIRAL'S QUARTERS – DAY

The Fleet Admiral leans forward in his seat, watching Samus continuing to hold on for dear life to her Ship Grapple.

FLEET ADMIRAL

Samus, what's your status?

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – DAY

Tyson sits patiently, waiting for Samus to respond.

FLEET ADMIRAL

(V.O.)

Samus, do you copy?

Silence.

Tyson gets up. He races for the exit hatch.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP – DAY

Tyson races for the exit hatch. He rides it down, discovering a motionless Samus.

TYSON

Ma'am? _(beat)_ Ma'am!

Samus looks up.

SAMUS

I'm going!

TYSON

What?

SAMUS

I'm not letting the Space Pirates live another second!

TYSON

But ma'am-!

Samus slides down the long, pink lasso of electricity.

EXT/INT. SPX-001: PATRIARCH CHAMBER - DAY

Samus slides down the long, pink lasso of electricity. When there is nothing more for her to hold onto, she lets herself fall into the dark abyss beneath the Parasite Chamber.

The Space Pirates created an additional chamber beneath the Parasite King as a backup, futureproofing the possibility that I, the mysterious 13576, might destroy the toxic core of Twin Tabula. My stock of missiles were already half gone when I descended into the abyss. I needed to be careful with the use of my Sunburst Charge Combo. Unlike Dark Samus-X as the Patriarch Plasma Demon, the trio of Blonzak here had plenty of time to develop within their now broken amniotic sac. These were the most powerful blood-sucking demons in the universe. More than that, they were once the Cronalian leaders Pluto, Osiris, and Orcus. The ones who wrote poetry that I would save them.

It was difficult to imagine that I now fought the leaders of the ancient reptilian race for the second time: first in their phantom forms, and now in their transformed, corrupted forms. Fighting what were essentially my surrogate grandparents made me anxious. The longer this battle went on, the more I questioned whether the Federation knew of this secret. I wanted it to be over so that I could ask Unit 149 if she knew all along about the Cronalian. Those reptilians lived in solitude for millennia, making their identity known only to a select few. One of the researchers back at HQ was deeply involved in solving the mystery behind the Space Pirates' mission on Twin Tabula. This made me wonder whether the Galactic Federation initially tasked me with this mission, knowing it would bring closure to my cryptic past.

"But why not just tell me? Why was it so important that I find out for myself?"

I hoped that Aurora Unit 149 would give me an acceptable answer.

When the Blonzak had half their energy drained from my Light Beam and Sunburst attacks, they began a new strategy, likely to lengthen the battle so that they had a better chance of defeating me. The strategy of the Blonzak involved constant shapeshifting, mainly within the confines of their various evolution states. This required me to alternate Beam weapons frequently. When the Patriarch Blonzak used the liquid obsidian to become a singular Dark Cronalian, I needed to use my Purge Beam and Radiation Shield. After revoking the reptilian beast of his poison, I could begin using my Grapple Beam on his tail to have him collapse on the ground. The Dark Cronalian transformed into a Cronalian Ghost. My X-Ray Visor coming in handy, I would be able to dodge and use my Ice Beam on the laser beam eyes. Once the Cronalian Ghost could fight no more, the pool of poison allowed him to mutate and evolve into a Patriarch Plasma Demon.

The Space Pirates forced the Cronalian race to transform into demons so that their corrupted intelligence could help fulfil the Pirates' wishes. In total, there were eight Patriarch Plasma Demons to follow directly under Ridley's command, but six ultimately had mutation failures. My Radiation Shield brimming full with parasitic ammunition, I began overpowering the demon's corruption. The Plasma Beam was also useful, in that regard. The level of difficulty rose dramatically. The brute force dealt during hand-to-hand combat was immeasurable. I felt pain I never felt before, even with my Light Suit enabled. The devil challenged my use of the Light Suit, wanting to force-disable it through excessive use of the X-Parasite. As soon as I knew this was the demon's plan, I knew I had to counteract it somehow before I lost access to my suit and my Arm Cannon.

Essentially, the Patriarch Plasma Demon forged a Dark Beam of his own. This battle of Light versus Dark reminded me of my battle again SA-X back on the FS-176 space station. Had this demon interrupted our battle back then, neither of us would have lived for long. My missile count was low; I did not have many Sunbursts left. I could not connect with Tyson nor the Fleet Admiral up above. The devil refused to fly up to the surface, for he knew I would be at a better advantage from inside my ship. In the abyss, there was a far greater chance that the demon could kill me. The only way that I could survive was through successful impulsive actions. Given my Purge, Plasma, and Light Beams were the only weapons that would cause any damage in this fight, my improvisational skills had to incorporate them in some way until the demon could fight no more. Eventually, hunched over and barely even alive, I fired my last Sunburst. I tried summoning my ship one last time, only to be greeted with another _"Error: Gunship not within reach"_ message.

My only escape, I slowly discovered, was by charging Spinners with the Boost Ball mechanic to activate complex Spider Ball tracks. Platforms extended as well. I used those both as resting places and to keep the devil at bay. This escape was not easy. Moreover, the Spider Ball tracks did not venture all the way to the Parasite Chamber. After racking my brain for longer than I should have, I switched to my Thermal Visor to activate the Power Conduits installed in each platform. Then, a pair of severed Screw Attack walls rose from underground. Fully knowing I could not attack while using this ability, I needed to dodge the demon's attacks while also making the necessary yet difficult jumps to reach the Parasite Chamber.

INT. SPX-001: PATRIARCH CHAMBER – NIGHT

Samus completes her final Screw Attack, and then grapples onto the descending Ship Grapple.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – NIGHT

Samus seats herself in the pilot seat. She flies the Gunship up to the surface. As soon as her connection with the Helicarrier returns, she contacts the Fleet Admiral.

SAMUS

Admiral, come in.

FLEET ADMIRAL

(V.O.)

Samus, dear god, what have you done?

SAMUS

Get all your Troops on the Helicarrier. If you have any aircraft still flying around, make sure they destroy every ATC. I want no trace of the Space Pirates.

FLEET ADMIRAL

(V.O.)

What exactly are you planning?

Samus gets up to go to the Weapons Repair Room. Tyson chases after.

FLEET ADMIRAL

Samus!

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP – NIGHT

Tyson follows Samus to the Weapons Repair Room.

TYSON

Why are you acting so strange, ma'am?

SAMUS

Tyson, I'm not gonna waste time to chat about plans.

Samus enters the Weapons Repair Room.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: WEAPONS REPAIR ROOM – NIGHT

Samus enters the Weapons Repair Room. Tyson soon follows.

TYSON

You couldn't tell me that you took the Dark Beam?

Samus ignores him. She opens the Charge Combo slot.

TYSON

What are you doing now?

Samus takes the Light Beam cylinder from her Arm Cannon. She opens both of them. She then mixes Light and Dark in an empty cylinder, and seals it shut. Tyson watches carefully. A heavy blast hits the Gunship, making Samus and Tyson stumble. She glares at him. Tyson exits. After mixing the Annihilator Beam cylinder thoroughly, Samus inserts it into the Charge Combo slot for the Ship Missiles.

INT. GF HELICARRIER: FLEET ADMIRAL'S QUARTERS – NIGHT

The Fleet Admiral watches Samus' gunship carefully.

FLEET ADMIRAL

What are you planning...?

The SECOND LIEUTENANT enters.

SECOND LIEUTENANT

Sir!

The Fleet Admiral turns around.

SECOND LIEUTENANT

Everyone is aboard the airship, sir.

The Fleet Admiral nods.

FLEET ADMIRAL

All right! Let's get out of here!

The Second Lieutenant nods and exits.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – NIGHT

Samus enters just in time to see _"Ship Sonic Boom online"_ fade away from the Gunship Visor. She seats herself in the pilot seat, and waits for the Helicarrier to escape through the wormhole. Once the communication screen with the Fleet Admiral disables, she knows she can begin the final assault on SPX-001.

TYSON

You're gonna mess with space and time!

SAMUS

Your point?

TYSON

What if the wormhole closes too early? What if we can't find our way home? Who knows what galaxy we're in now?

SAMUS

We'll make it out alive, Tyson. I promise.

TYSON

What's the Federation going to say about this?

SAMUS

Only one way to find out!

Samus begins charging the Ship Missiles. Tyson flies the Gunship as close to the wormhole as possible, but within range. He takes a deep breath.

TYSON

Ma'am...? Ready...?

She nods.

The first Ship Sonic Boom makes contact with the front of the warship, killing several Space Pirates in an instant. Structures and devices collapse and explode. The Ship Sonic Boom also causes a storm to initiate within the wormhole.

INT/EXT. WORMHOLE – NIGHT

The GF Helicarrier barely makes it out of the wormhole alive. The Fleet Admiral, wanting to get away from the inevitable destruction of Twin Tabula, gets the pilots to fly the ship out of orbit.

INT. WORMHOLE – NIGHT

Samus enacts a quintuple assault toward SPX-001. Both the warship and the wormhole react violently to the distortion of space and time. The violent storm attacks the Gunship with lightning made of both Light and Dark energy. Samus and Tyson do their best to swerve past all the chaos within the wormhole, while the spatial tunnel contracts.

INT. SAMUS' GUNSHIP: COCKPIT – NIGHT

Samus and Tyson attempt to reach warp speed.

SAMUS

Velocity rising... _(beat)_ Velocity reached.

TYSON

Warp speed engaged.

Samus and Tyson zoom past SPX-001 at the last second. They venture straight up and out of Twin Tabula's atmosphere.

EXT. TWIN TABULA – NIGHT

Samus and Tyson race out of Twin Tabula's atmosphere, while the collapsing SPX-001 warship makes its descent into the massive tunnel in the Twin Tabula Trench.

EXT. FS-176 STAR SYSTEM – NIGHT

Samus and Tyson escape into outer space. The plan explodes behind them.

FADE TO:

EXT. GF HEADQUARTERS: LANDING SITE A – DAY

Two Security Guards carry a handcuffed Samus by the arms inside the building. A THIRD GUARD confiscates her Zero Suit, and A FOURTH confiscates Tyson.

INT. GF HEADQUARTERS: AURORA LIFT – DAY

The two guards bring Samus up to Aurora Unit 149 for her imprisonment sentence.

INT. GF HEADQUARTERS: AURORA CHAMBER – DAY

Samus and the guards exit the lift, and walk up to the main platform. One of the guards scans his hand. The mosaic stasis tank in front of them clears, Unit 149 awakening from her slumber.

AURORA UNIT 149

Some privacy, gentlemen. Thank you.

The Security Guards nod, and ride the lift back down. Both Unit 149 and Samus wait for absolute silence.

AURORA UNIT 149

Tossing yourself in?

SAMUS

What did you know about the Cronalian before my mission?

AURORA UNIT 149

Samus-

SAMUS

No, don't "Samus" me! What did you know?

Pause.

SAMUS

At what point were you going to tell me?

AURORA UNIT 149

We had no plans to.

SAMUS

No plans to? What's that supposed to mean?

AURORA UNIT 149

Debriefing you on details that would distract you was not a risk we were willing to take.

SAMUS

Well, the mission's over. You're welcome.

AURORA UNIT 149

And so is your career.

SAMUS

What?

AURORA UNIT 149

Life imprisonment.

SAMUS

That's a little extreme, don't you think?

AURORA UNIT 149

(sarcastic)

Not following orders, killing your allies, destroying a planet... No, that doesn't sound extreme to me.

SAMUS

Do you really think I was gonna give the parasite or the Pirates a chance to come back?

AURORA UNIT 149

You disobeyed the Admiral He gave you access to his soldiers, and instead you decided to finish the job. That is not how we operate.

The two Security Guards return.

AURORA UNIT 149

Besides, we had no plans on giving you your earnings, anyway.

SAMUS

I'm not getting paid? After all that work I did for you?

The guards take Samus by the arms.

SECURITY GUARD 1

C'mon, Samus.

SECURITY GUARD 2

Yeah, you're not getting away this time.

SAMUS

I didn't think you'd let me.

Samus and the guards step on the lift platform. One of the guards scans his hand.

AURORA UNIT 149

Samus! _(beat)_ Sorry for your loss.

SAMUS

Go to hell.

Samus and the guards ride the Aurora Lift down.

FADE TO:

INT. GF HEADQUARTERS: SAMUS' CELL – NIGHT

Samus lies in bed, lost in thought.

SUPERIMPOSE: "Five years later..."

The Fleet Admiral walks over from the corridor. He knocks on the bars.

FLEET ADMIRAL

Samus!

Samus looks over.

SAMUS

Admiral?

She gets out of bed, and walks over to him.

FLEET ADMIRAL

You look terrible.

Silence.

FLEET ADMIRAL

I got good news!

The Fleet Admiral reveals her Zero Suit in a large plastic bag.

INT. GF HEADQUARTERS: CELLBLOCK A - NIGHT

The Fleet Admiral reveals her Zero Suit in a large plastic bag.

SAMUS

Admiral, w-what are you doing with that?

FLEET ADMIRAL

This is yours, isn't it?

SAMUS

Yeah?

He releases her.

SAMUS

The Federation's letting me go?

The Fleet Admiral hands her the Zero Suit. Samus dresses.

FLEET ADMIRAL

I have a plan.

SAMUS

Wait, what are you talking about? Am I free or not?

FLEET ADMIRAL

You will be.

SAMUS

Admiral-!

FLEET ADMIRAL

Shh! Keep your voice down!

The Fleet Admiral takes her arm, gently. He leads the way. Samus is hesitant to follow.

SAMUS

What if they find out?

FLEET ADMIRAL

They won't.

SAMUS

How do you know-?

FLEET ADMIRAL

Quick! Someone's coming!

The Fleet Admiral takes Samus' arm, and brings her into the next corridor. A Security Guard is at the end of the hall. They hide behind a wall, waiting for him to continue his patrol elsewhere.

I could not believe the Fleet Admiral's plan. Never in a million years would I have guessed that he would try to break me out of the Galactic Federation's stronghold. This penitentiary not only served the toughest of prisoners, but also the toughest of guards. The Admiral's plan had to be good, if we were to have a successful escape. I noticed the Admiral talking quietly into an earpiece. Perhaps he had some of his soldiers pretending to be on patrol. Sure enough, just as one of the guards was about to see us, one of the Team Delta women came to the rescue to knock him out. The Admiral's soldiers were an impressive bunch: they got us decently far away from my cell, and the alarm never even went off once. I anticipated the silence would not last for much longer, though, predicting the red floodlights would turn on at any moment. For as long as we had the opportunity, the Admiral and I implemented stealth into our escape as much as possible. Team Delta remained our eyes and ears, taking the necessary actions to secure our safety. For every guard, there was a Team Delta soldier.

My accomplice and I had our backs against the opposite walls of the corridor. We nodded at each other, knowing what we had to do next. As soon as the guard began to walk past us, we lunged forward to double team and knock him out. Immediately thereafter, the sirens went off and the floodlights replaced the regular fluorescent ones.

"Warning: Major threat in the facility. Suppress and apprehend the target. Use any means necessary." The familiar Aurora Unit recording echoed throughout the penitentiary.

The Admiral and I each stole a weapon from the unconscious guard: him, a tranquilizer, and me, an electroshock weapon. The thought of me getting to electrocute my foes unconscious made me incredibly happy. Though I did not know how many guards I would get to electrocute, I would relish in each one. The Federation now fully aware of my attempt to escape, the Fleet Admiral, Team Delta, and myself had to pick up the pace. The Admiral, in fact, prepared for this: his soldiers managed to knock out each of the guards by the time we escaped the penitentiary.

The moment I travelled beyond the prison's walls, now inside Federation HQ proper, my Light Suit, weapons, and holo-phone all powered back on, as if a power outage just ended. The Federation implemented a mechanism where weapons and technologies would disable when entering the prison. My accomplice spoke with Team Charlie to ensure passage to the Helicarrier. Right on cue, his soldiers deflected the attempts of fellow GF Troopers with smoke bombs and various weaponry. The Fleet Admiral guided me accordingly. The remaining members of Team Bravo, those that did not falter in the war against the Space Pirates, awaited us on the Helicarrier's deck. They readied a temporary spacecraft for me.

"Where's my Gunship?"

"FS-176."

"The hell's it doing out there?"

"They got some guy keeping an eye out for the X-Parasite. I don't know."

"And he took my ship?"

"149's orders."

I rolled my eyes, befuddled by the Aurora Unit's thought process. "Why take my ship? I could just as easily take one of yours!"

"Don't ask me. I'm just getting you outta here."

"Yeah. Thanks, Admiral."

Team Charlie worked just as hard as Team Delta did: they combined stealth with brute force to make sure we got past the Federation's stronghold. A Super Missile did the trick, whenever the Admiral and I were in a tight situation. However, the Federation soon caught on as to where we headed. A group of Aircraft Troopers tried to race us to the Helicarrier: this was where Team Bravo came in handy. The Fleet Admiral's second-best squad of soldiers counteracted every attempt the Aircraft Troopers made to climb aboard the Helicarrier. Before long, Team Charlie got us to the exterior of Federation HQ. The Helicarrier Landing Site was dead ahead, the massive airship filling much of our vision. A Grapple Beam target easily allowed me to board the ship. I grabbed a hold of the Fleet Admiral, and swung up with him.

EXT. GF HELICARRIER: DECK – NIGHT

Samus and the Fleet Admiral swing up and onto the main platform. After releasing the Admiral, the bounty hunter uses a few Super Missiles to send the remaining Aircraft Troopers flying. A spacecraft awaits on the far end of the deck, with Team Bravo soldiers guarding it. Samus and the Fleet Admiral make their way to the ship.

SAMUS

Thanks, Admiral.

He nods. They shake hands.

FLEET ADMIRAL

Best of luck.

Samus nods. She begins to enter the ship.

FLEET ADMIRAL

Your money's in the back!

SAMUS

What?

He smiles.

FLEET ADMIRAL

Take care. _(to his soldiers)_ Let's get her outta here!

SAMUS

Admiral... Thank you.

The Fleet Admiral smiles. Samus enters the ship. The Admiral and his soldiers step away, letting the bounty hunter lift off. Samus drives along the landing strip until she reaches the necessary speed to soar into the sky. She then begins her dramatic increase to warp speed, to escape Earth's atmosphere. The Fleet Admiral and his soldiers watch. GF Troopers run over to make their arrests, getting the Admiral and his soldiers on their knees, with their hands behind their back.

FADE TO:

EXT. FS-176 – NIGHT

Samus arrives at the space station. Because her Gunship currently occupies the Landing Site, Samus must descend her temporary spacecraft until the Landing Site is within safe jumping distance. Samus rides the exit hatch, and leaps across.

EXT. FS-176: LANDING SITE - NIGHT

Samus makes her way to the control room, taking the nearby lift as a means to reach it.

INT. FS-176: CONTROL ROOM – NIGHT

Samus rides the lift down into the control room. Startled to hear someone riding the lift down to him, Tyson grabs a pistol, assuming her an intruder. Samus and Tyson stare at each other in shock, their weapons pointed at each other.

FADE OUT.

THE END


End file.
